


Hybrids Pt II

by Aerilon452



Category: Farscape, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004)
Genre: A/U, Angst, Comfort, F/M, Humor, Hurt, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-09-22 16:04:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9615305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerilon452/pseuds/Aerilon452
Summary: Two hybrids meet, unaware of the history that surrounds them.





	1. Chapter 1

HYBRIDS:  
PART II

22 CYCLES LATER:

NOR’TAKAN THREE:

 

D’Argo “Deke” Crichton trudged through the hip deep snow, trying to make his way towards the lights of what he hoped was a settlement. The Prowler he was piloting, the one that belonged to his mother, started to give him trouble with the engine. As soon as he got back to Moya, his mother would give him quite an earful, but in the meantime, he had to get the Prowler fixed so he could get home. And that meant he had to wade through the snow, freezing his ass off.

Deke blew hot air into his cupped hands. Even with his Sabacean blood giving him a high tolerance to the cold, his thighs were numb, he could barely feel his feet, and his nether regions. The sooner he got indoors, the better. “Come on boy, keep moving.” He mimicked his father as best he could. That meant he kept going with a frustrated growl going to war with the wicked howl of the wind.

Lieutenant Rylani Rayvin Shanu stood in the dark doorway looking out at the frozen snow covered wasteland stretched out before her. The sky was open with the stars shining bright. It was nearly nauseating. She hated being planet bound, even if it was her father that gave her the mission. She wasn’t happy about being here. Rylani had been born in space, on a Command Carrier, lived there for five cycles. Her reason for being on a planet in the first place was so that she could meet with a Kalish Resistance fighter who had information to pass along. So far, her contact had not shown. She was ready to hop back in her Prowler and leave this frozen hunk of rock behind.

Rylani was about to head back inside when she noticed movement. Putting on her tactical headset, she used the thermal imaging to determine what it was she was seeing. The thermal signature was male, but the snow was bleeding away any heat. She ripped off the headset, shoving it into her bag where she shoved it into the small alcove. Rylani tacked out into the frigid night air, the low temperature numbing her exposed skin. This was reckless, against protocol, and very stupid.

Deke breathed hard, the cold air burning his lungs with every inhalation he took. He looked up, seeing a dark figure coming towards him, a delicate shadow. Was this a hypothermic hallucination? He wasn’t sure, and so he kept going. If he stopped, there as a chance he would fall face first and pass out. Deke kept his eyes on the willowy figure coming towards him. Right now, he was regretting his choice to leave his headset in the Prowler, which might be frozen over by now for all he knew.

Rylani fought her way through the waist deep snow. The male tripped, landing face first in the snow, being swallowed up by it. It forced her to pick up the pace, to push her muscles harder. She got to the male, pulled him up, and against her. With her inherited Scarran strength, the male, who by all appearances outweighed her, felt as if she was carrying nothing more than a duffle full of clothing. She got them turned around, following the same path to return them to the abandoned building she taken up temporary residence in. 

Deke felt the presence of another person next to him, helping him stay on his feet. He was so cold that he could barely feel the heat from his savior. “Where are we going?” he asked, his teeth chattering. 

“Somewhere warm,” Rylani answered. She kept her eyes locked on the building, pushing herself to get out of the snow, and back inside. She was breaking so many rules at this moment, and if her father found out. He would reprimand her, but more than that, he would be disappointed in her. That would hurt her worse, and she would do anything to keep him from feeling that for her.

Deke could tell from the sound of the voice, his rescuer was a female, a Sabacean. She sounded nice, and he hoped she was. The mystery woman was being nice enough to pull his dumb ass out of the snow. Feeling he could, Deke opened his eyes just in time to see them approaching a darkened doorway.

Rylani, using her free hand, grabbed her pack, and then kicked open the door. A burst of hot air sliced through her, and the man at her side. It didn’t deter her from rushing inside. She could handle the heat thanks to her Scarran genes. Luckily the heat would help her companion to thaw out. Carefully she dropped him to the pallet of fur blankets and then went to secure the door. 

In the low light, Deke groaned, half from relief, half from pain. The heat felt good, but as the sensations returned to his extremities, there was also that sense of throbbing that had him biting his lip against the agony. He turned his head to see his savior. She was tall, lithe, and startling beautiful. And she was dressed as a Peacekeeper; the black leather pants, the long black jacket – like the kind his father still wore- and the basic black shirt. “Can I thank you?” Deke asked.

Rylani shed her long jacket, bringing it over to place on top of her companion to help warm him faster. She stretched out next to him, her head resting in her hand as she replied, “You can when you are ready.” She scooted closer to him, knowing that her mission was probably over, and the contact she was sent to meet wasn’t going to show. “What were you doing out there?” Rylani asked.

Deke rolled to his side, slowly, and with a groan. “My engine was giving me trouble. So, I had no choice but to set down here.” He brought the blanket, the collar of her jacket up to his nose to thaw it out. “My Prowler is probably a giant ice cube by now.” His mother was definitely going to kick his ass; to borrow another of his father’s favorite expressions.

“I know a tech who can fix whatever the problem is,” Rylani offered staring into the clear blue eyes of her temporary companion. The male lying before her was attractive, in a roguish space scoundrel kind of way. He had a few scars on his face that were only accented by the strands of his dark hair cutting across is cheek. “And you are in luck. He’s right here on this planet. The moment you warm up; I will take you to him.”

“What planet is this?” Deke asked, closing his eyes, exhaling to add warmth to the blanket covering his nose.

“Nor’Takan three,” Rylani answered. She didn’t have to ask why he was here. If he was having trouble with Prowler, this was the closest planet for him to set down on.

“I don’t like it,” Deke said, shaking his head. If it was a contest between living in space or this planet, he would choose space. Living aboard a Leviathan was supremely preferable.

“I do not blame you,” Rylani agreed. A smile graced her black lips when the male had slipped into sleep. A strange desire came over her to brush back the dark strands of his hair so she might reveal more of his face. Before she gave into it, she got up, returning to the door to resume looking for her contact.

A short time later, Deke woke comfortably warm, and still burrowed under the blankets. His rescuer stood guard at the window, her back ramrod straight, and her arms crossed. She had her hair pulled back away from her face, bearing the gold accent marks on her temple, and down her neck. He imagined just how far they went. Deke knew those marks; they were Kalish. It would explain the red hair, but not the white highlights he could see. Sitting up, he stretched, scratching the back of his head, “How long was I out?”

Rylani didn’t look at him as she answered, “Nearly an arn.” She abandoned her post by the window, returning to the pallet to crouch down next to him. “Your color has returned. How do you feel?”

“Normal,” Deke sighed, taking her coat from the top pile to hand to her. “Thank you.” He stood up at the same time she had. She was imposing, that was for sure. And her eyes, the way they glowed. Deke found himself getting lost on them.

“My pleasure,” Rylani smirked. “I attempt to do one good deed every cycle.” It was a joke. No amount of good acts on her part would ever change the way the galaxy saw her. To pure bred Sabacean’s she was a mongrel. To Scarrans she was an abomination. To the Kalish, a genetic mistake. In spite of all that, she made her place with the Peacekeepers, and had a family to show for it.

“Good policy to have,” Deke nodded. She was definitely a head of the game. He, as well as his parents, were still considered outlaws in most of the Uncharted Territories. Good deeds didn’t come till after the chaos was already well underway.

“The wind has calmed down considerably,” Rylani said, changing the subject. “If you are ready to brave the elements, then I can introduce you to the tech who can fix your Prowler.” She was trying not to seem as if she was in a hurry to get rid of him. In truth, she wanted to spend more time with him. That confused her. Never before had she felt such a pull towards a male.

Deke nodded, “Yeah, that would be great.” He was trying to take his cues from her. She was a stranger after all, and he had to get off this rock as quick as possible. Yet, the urge to stay was getting stronger the longer he stayed close to her. It was weird. Deke only just met her, and she saved his butt from being a permanent frozen fixture on the landscape.

Rylani shrugged into her coat, doing up the closures. She went to her pack, removing a standard pulse pistol, where she placed it in the holster on her left thigh. Her tech was a little twitchy around new faces. She was going to have to pay him more currency, assure him with her smile, and threaten him all at the same time. Looking back at him, he had this intrigued gleam in his eyes. It forced her to ask, “What are you staring at?”

Deke placed his hands on his hips, rocking back and forth on his heels, “I don’t mean to, it’s just, I’ve not seen a Kalish that looks like you before.” The black lips were in contrast to the pale/golden skin most of them were known to have. She had slight scale accents around her eyes, and the while streaks. This woman was a genetic mixed bag if ever he saw one. 

Rylani tucked a stray strand of white hair behind her right ear. “I am not entirely Kalish,” she answered, looking him in the eyes. “My genetic heritage includes Scarran, as well as Sabacean.” In all her cycles of life, she’d not admitted that to any other living being. Rylani wasn’t ashamed of who she was, there was just no need to give voice to what made her unique. Everyone she came in contact with on a regular basis already knew who she was. She was the child of Scorpius and Sikozu Shanu.

“Then,” Deke came closer to her, “we have something in common. I’m Sabacean, too.” Actually, he was only half. His father, John Crichton, was a human from some back water small planet that he loved so much. It wasn’t his favorite place, seeing as they could only get there via wormhole. As much as he understood them through the inherited genetic knowledge from his father, he hated to traverse them. 

Rylani smiled, in spite of herself, “Come on.” It pleased her to know they had at least one thing in common. He would be one being in this galaxy that didn’t outright distrust her because of how she looked. No one, except the truly stupid, came out and said it to her face, but she knew. It was how her father was treated. 

Back outside, Deke huddled in his black leather jacket. Now that he was warmed up, the bitter cold sliced right through his hearty Sabacean blood. He fished the gloves out of the inside of his jacket, and put them on. Then, for added warmth, he tucked his hands up under his armpits as he jogged to keep pace with her. She walked with such purpose, her stride long and determined. “Did I thank you?” he asked.

“Not yet,” Rylani replied, a light chuckle coloring her words.

“Oh,” Deke nodded. “I will.” He followed her as she set off into the heart of the small snow covered town.

Rylani kept close to the shadows while she made her way through the deserted settlement as she was increasingly aware of the male keeping close to her back. She could feel the lick of heat emanating from him. It was threatening to addict her, when she had to keep her mind clear. All she was going to do was help him get his Prowler fixed, then they would never see each other again. ‘There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun with him.’ Her libido had to speak up at that moment, and she had to agree. Rylani could take some time to have a little fun.

Deke saw the building his hybrid companion was heading towards. He picked up the pace, getting ahead of her so that he might open the door for her. It was one of those learned behaviors his father had taught him. She looked at him suspiciously, passing by him, and into the cavernous bay where a Prowler waited. It had to belong to her. “So, who is this guy? It is a guy, right?”

“Yes,” Rylani confirmed. “Sai’Pra! Get out here!” she shouted, putting a little Scarran roar into her voice. That side of her always scared the little tech into doing exactly what she wanted. She learned that tactic from her father. A few microts later, a small, scared little mole of a creature appeared. His beady little eyes flicked right, and then left, and finally rested on her. 

“No! No! Not done! Gotta leave!” Sai’Pra shouted, trepidation in his timid voice. “Go away!” As much as he hated working for the Peacekeeper, she kept the others away from him, kept him from being killed. 

“Sai’Pra, take a breath, and calm down,” Rylani urged. “I am not here to rush you. I have only come to offer you more currency,” she said, assuring him of her true intentions. Motioning to the male at her side, “My companion needs your specific skill set. His Prowler…”

Deke took up where she left off, “I was having engine trouble that forced me to land on this… planet. It’s only six hundred motras outside of town.”

“No, no, not good Can’t help!” Sia’Pra cowered in fear.

Rylani crossed her arms, “Your grubby little minions have already fetched, have they not?” When the little tech refused to look at her, she hissed. He dropped to the ground, curled in a ball, shaking and whimpering. 

“I think you terrify him,” Deke leaned in and whispered, perversely enjoying the sight of the little mole-like creature fearing for his life.

“It is the hissing he is afraid of,” Rylani answered. “It reminds him that I have more Scarran in me than what is seen on the surface.” Then, crouching down next to him, she poked him, “Sai’Pra, I will not harm you, but you have to stop being so afraid.”

“Can’t! Don’t eat me!” Sai’Pra shrieked, curling tighter into a ball. 

“I will not eat you,” Rylani crooned, “and I will pay you three times what you normally charge if you ready his Prowler within three arns.” That got the tech to stop quaking. He uncurled and looked at her.

“Five arns! Best I can do!” Sai’Pra wailed, ducking his head back under the protection of his arms. 

“Deal,” Deke cut in. His companion looked at him, and she nodded. He offered her his hand. She looked at it, then up at him before placing her hand in his. Her skin was the same temperature as his. Touching her felt like he’d been hit with an electric current. 

Rylani knew she should let go of his hand, but the way he held it was so strong and so gentle. It felt too good to let it be over too quickly. While her mind could still function, she said to Sai’Pra, “We will return in four arns, and both Prowler’s had better be ready.” All that greeted her was a little squeak. 

“While he’s working, what are we going to be doing?” Deke asked, pulling her close enough that the heat of her bled through the fabric of his clothes. He could see the flash of primal desire flit through her iridescent blue eyes.

“We are going to have a little fun,” Rylani chuckled darkly. It was ill advised, against her better judgement, and yet, she was still going to set aside her rank, her identity as a Peacekeeper. The male before her was a fine specimen. She learned to take momentary pleasure when the mood struck her. 

 

EMPTY BUILDING:

 

The door crashed open, spilling Deke into the room with beautiful savior in his arms. They were kissing like they needed the taste of each other more than they needed air in their lungs. Without looking where he was going, his boots caught on something, and down he went, landing on the pallet of blankets that had thawed him out earlier. The contact with the floor broke their lips apart long enough for him to gasp, “Sorry…” 

Rylani took that moment to pulled back, to sit up while remaining astride his lap, “Stop talking.” She took her long coat off, tossing it away. A cold caress of air whispered around them. She curled her lip in annoyance. Leaning down, she kissed him hard and quick, before getting up to secure the door. 

Deke took that moment to regain his feet. Off came his jacket, his shirt, and his boots. Last was his belt, that held his pulse pistol. He moaned in appreciation when she came back over to him, her hands on his chest. She shoved him hard against the wall, rough enough to draw a grunt of pain from him. She smiled wickedly. That told him all he needed to know. She liked it rough, and he was gentlemen enough to oblige her. Deke took her upper arms, pivoting, so it was she who was pinned against the wall.

Rylani growled, breaking his hold, and then bringing her hands up to thread them through his hair. She dragged his lips back to hers, needing the feel of him against her. He gripped the back of her leather clad thighs, picking her up, wedging his waist between her thighs. She used the change in height to yank his head back, and kiss him back down to the floor. Taking her direction with ease, she felt the blankets beneath her knees. Rylani pulled back to strip off her shirt and service bra. “I will not break,” she said.

Deke rolled them, putting her beneath him, “What’s your name?”

Rylani smiled broadly, “Rayvin.” She drew her nails down her chest, asking, “What are you called?”

D’Argo wanted to answer with the name of his birth, but it wasn’t who he was. So, instead he replied, “Deke.”

 

THREE ARNS LATER:

 

Deke traced the pale scars on Rayvin’ back that could have only been left by a Scarran. It didn’t keep him from asking, “How’d you get this?” He wanted to keep talking to her, even though she gave nothing away as to how she lived her life. Conversely, he was guilty of the same. Deke was telling her nothing of who his parents were, of where he lived, and what he did on any given solar day.

Rylani sighed, pressing her cheek into the balled up corner of fur, “I was in a fight with a particularly large Scarran soldier.” She had been on a mission for her father, gathering intelligence in a place that he could not venture. The Scarran had caught her, they fought, and it ended with her using her abilities to liquefy his insides. “After it was dead, I had to stop the bleeding with sutures. Primitive, but it was all I could do.”

“You sewed up your own side?” Deke asked. He leaned over her, kissing each scar.

“It was more difficult than I imagined it would be,” Rylani answered, moaning from the feel of his lips. 

“Ouch,” Deke commiserated, pulling his hand back when she shifted to her side. She reached out, touching his left side, the tip of her finger tracing the knife wound he’d survived after getting into a bar fight with a Peacekeeper Commando. 

“You might have a few scars from me,” Rylani bit her bottom lip. She took her hand from his side so she could touch the nail gouges on his face. They wouldn’t scar, she knew they wouldn’t. If Rylani wanted to leave her mark on a male, she wouldn’t do it in such a prominent place, not when he had such a pretty face.

“I’m ok with that,” Deke chuckled, turning his head to kiss her palm. Their time was nearly up, and soon they would part ways. At least he would have the feeling of her body burned into his skin to remember her by. The chances that they would ever meet again were infinitesimal. “It’s almost time….”

“I know,” Rylani sighed and sat up. Once they got dressed, he would get in his ship and she would return to hers. She had to return to her father and tell him that she failed to secure the information he required. All through it, she sensed, she would have to hide her smile. To her, this mission wasn’t a total failure. Certain needs she had had been met, and sated, but it was best to end this now. Rylani got up to put her pants on. 

Deke followed her lead. While he was still under the blanket, he pulled his pants on, zipped and buttoned them. Rising to his feet, he took the blanket, folding it so he could take it with him. One more memento of their time together. He put his shirt on, pulled on his boots, and shrugged into his jacket. When he turned to face her, she was dressed, and pulling her hair back away from her face. “The white? How’d you end up with it?” he asked just to prolong their interaction.

Rylani shrugged, “It is a genetic quirk. When I was fifteen cycles, my bangs, and certain streaks of my hair started to turn white.” All the curls she used to have went away as well. She assumed it was because her hair was nearly down to her waist, and that it was so thick and heavy, the curls fell out. Rylani didn’t know, and she wasn’t curious enough to find out. She started to walk by him, when he caught her about the waist, hauling her back against his chest. His lips pressed to the side of her neck drawing a laughing sigh from her. 

From inside the pocket, Deke removed the ring he’d been carrying around for three cycles. Ever since Rygel had given it to him. He took her left hand, placing the silver ring on her middle finger. The large sea blue stone shined against her skin. “This is a small way to repay you for getting my Prowler fixed.” 

The weight of the metal felt strange against Rylani’s finger. She wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to do this, but she kept her mouth shut. The ring felt good against her skin. She knew she wouldn’t be able to wear it for long, once she left this place it would have to come off. She turned in his arms, kissing him lightly. “Thank you.”

 

MAINTINENCE BAY:

 

Rylani sat in the cockpit of her Prowler running the pre-flight check when she noticed something out of place. Two data crystal were in previously vacant places on her console. Now it made sense why she never met her contact. He’d not bothered to face her directly. Her father was right; the Kalish Resistance were nothing more than lowly cowards. At least her mission was a success, partly. She was supposed to meet with the contact directly. 

Deke lifted himself up to sit on the edge of the Rayvin’s Prowler. “Hey, you almost ready?”

Rylani looked up, “I nearly am.” She left the data crystals where they were. Standing up, she kissed him one more time. “Perhaps, we will meet again.”

“Yeah,” Deke chuckled. “It’s a small universe, after all.” He wanted to haul her out of there, tell her they could stay longer, and go back to that little room where all the heat they needed was each other.

“It is a big universe,” Rylani argued lightly. She was reticent about firing up her engine’s, closing the canopy, and blasting from the surface to return to the stars. Deke was unlike anyone shed ever met, and leaving him in her wake seemed wrong. She never had this much doubt inside her before.

“Until we meet again,” Deke whispered close to her lips. Then, he pulled back, and was back on the ground. Walking away had to be the single hardest thing he’d ever done in his life because he knew he was walking away from a truly unique and special being. There was no guarantee that he would ever cross her path again.

 

HALF A CYCLE LATER:

 

Lt. Rylani Rayvin Shanu stood in command quarters aboard the new Peacekeeper Command Carrier, Zelbinion. Her hands were behind her back, in proper military review stance, but she couldn’t stop the nerves. She had been reassigned to this ship, and not by her father’s command. The uniform she was in was new, as her last one had been ripped, and shot up. Being a ‘Black Ghost’ was not the safest position a Commando could know. She had the urge to reach for the ring she kept on a chain hidden beneath her uniform shirt. Rylani ahd been doing that a lot lately; holding it, wearing it while she slept. It reminded her of a cold planet, and a hot night.

Commandant Meeklo Braca watched the grown soldier stand, her back straight, and her uniform pressed to perfection. He was proud of Rylani, as proud as he felt he had the right to be as he got the honor of watching her grow up. “At ease, Lieutenant,” he made himself known. She turned to him, the smile wanting to curve her lips up. He was family to her. 

“I am not sure as to why I am here,” Rylani said, her voice light, and small. It wasn’t the tone of a hardened commando, but of a little girl standing before a man she saw as an uncle.

“You’re being promoted, and offered a new position aboard this Command Carrier for the interim.” Braca announced. 

“I do not understand,” Rylani tried not to sound shocked. “Promotion?” Had this been at her father’s request? Rylani wouldn’t have put it passed him. When he wanted something, he went after it. Even if it was something for his daughter. She was a little sad that he wasn’t here to see her promoted. 

“Yes, Captain.” Braca handed her his former insignia. He always knew that someday he would want to pass this on to her, and Rylani had more than earned it. She pushed harder, fought harder than any other soldier he had commanded. Through the cycles, he’d seen her grown, seen how she’d come into her own as a soldier, spy, scientist, and whatever else she needed to be. She was never satisfied being just one thing within the corp. Rylani expected herself to do better than everyone else. And she did.

Rylani accepted the black leather that would sit on her shoulder. “A new position? What would I be doing?”

Braca sighed, “I would like for you to act as a liaison between myself, your parents, as well as a third party that should be arriving shortly. This third party has some history with us, and tensions will be on the rise. You’re a relatively new face to them, thus they will not have problems with you.”

“Sir, I am no diplomat. Honestly, you do not want me to do this.” Rylani argued. She was a hunter.

“You are exactly the Peacekeeper I want for this,” Braca argued back. “Your father will be inclined to behave himself while you are in his presence.” When he needed, he knew how to maneuver his former commander in the direction he wanted. Keeping Rylani close was one such maneuver. 

Rylani had the urge to give a flippant remark, but Braca was her commander, and she had to obey. “I will endeavor to do my best.” Controlling her father’s moods was not her area. That honor belonged to her mother. It was better to get down to business, “This third party, how am I to help liaise between you and them?”

Braca admired her ability to switch gears, the same ability Scorpius had. “Here. It’s all in there.” He handed her a complete dossier on John Crichton, Officer Aeryn Sun-Crichton, their son D’Argo Sun-Crichton, Ka Jothee, Chiana, and Dominar Rygel the 16th. “You will have three solar days to become knowledgeable about all of them. Quarters have been arranged for you befitting your new rank.” Braca motioned to the spacious room, “I hope these will suffice.”

“Thank you, Commandant.” Rylani broke with regulations, going to her uncle, she threw her arms over his shoulders and hugged him. “I will not let you down.”

“I know you won’t. Failure is not in your DNA.” Braca replied, stepping back. “Good night, Captain, and congratulations.” 

Rylani hardly noticed the departure of Braca. She set the reports on the desk so that she could set to work. She had three solar days to learn all there was to know about a crew of outlaws. It was best she not waste any time in committing their past to memory.

 

TO BE CONTINUED:


	2. Chapter 2

HYBRIDS:  
PART II

MOYA:

Commander John Crichton stood on command next to his wife, staring at the message they’d received in utter disbelief. “Have we entered bizzaro-world?” he asked, shaking his head in disbelief. They had had twenty-two peaceful cycles without Peacekeeper contact, and now out of the blue this message landed in their lap. It came nearly at the same time as Chiana’s disappearance. That had John more than a little uneasy.

“John…” Aeryn drew out her husband’s name. “It’s not unreasonable to think about this.” The prospect of returning to a Command Carrier appealed to the soldier that she had been. She missed the familiar walls, the foot falls of soldiers. 

John cast a sidelong glance at his wife. It had taken him twenty-two cycles to put his paranoia to rest. “I don’t trust this olive branch they’ve extended. What could they possibly want from us, that they haven’t already tried to take?”

“I don’t know,” Aeryn responded with a shrug. “We should go and find out,” she offered her opinion. It would give their son a chance to see where she was from, the world that formed her. “John, we’re safe, and no longer hunted by them. There’s no harm in accepting this invitation.”

“You’re right,” John nodded. “I hate it, but you’re right.” He kissed his wife before leaving command. 

 

THREE SOLAR DAYS LATER:

 

Rylani stood on the hangar deck resisting the urge to tug at her new uniform jacket. She wished she was back in her uniform, the worn leather, the comfortable creaks as she walked. This new on made her feel stiff, inflexible. She studied herself in the mirror before leaving her quarters. The uniform she wore reminded her of the one Braca used to be in while serving under her father. While she waited, she ran through the information she memorized about the crew of Moya. They had a knack for getting into trouble, of getting out of it, and of helping others in need. By all accounts they were honorable and trustworthy. Rylani admired that. 

The transport pod landed breaking Rylani out of her nagging self-doubt. She straightened her posture as the pressure door opened, and steps extended to allow the passengers to disembark. The first to set foot on the deck was the infamous Commander John Crichton, a little older with strands of grey cutting through his hair. He had a few lines on his face denoting his age, but he was still in fine form. Next was former Officer Aeryn Sun. She looked the same, but like her husband, her hair was shot through with a few strands of grey. Her eyes were alert, scanning every face. They were the only two to leaving the transport pod. 

“Commander Crichton, Officer Sun,” Rylani drew their suspicious gazes. “Welcome aboard the Zelbinion.”

“There’s a great name,” John remarked snidely. He remembered being on the first incarnation, a derelict Command Carrier that had gotten into a fire fight with a Nebari ship.

“That ship was the pride of the Peacekeeper armada,” Rylani said sharply. She cleared her throat, calling back her instinctual anger. “It’s true her Captain was a disgrace, but that ship should be remembered, honored by all Sabaceans.” She took pride in her heritage.

“Yes, it should,” Aeryn chimed in, drawing her husband’s eyes. She looked at him coolly, calmly.

“And that’s my cue to shut up,” John joked. Aeryn rolled her eyes at him.

“I was under the impression there would be more of you?” Rylani asked.

“Our son is in the transport pod making a few adjustments, and the rest of our crew chose to remain on Moya,” Aeryn answered looking over the officer in front of her. The young soldier was not the typical Peacekeeper; a mix of Kalish and Sabacean with some Scarran thrown in. She had her assumptions as to who this soldier was related to, but until she had proof she would keep her theories to herself. Any mention of Scorpius would send John off the deep end.

“Ah,” Rylani nodded. “I’ve been tasked by Commandant Braca to act as your liaison…”

“Wait… Braca is a Commandant?” John laughed. “Whoo boy!”

Rylani looked at Officer Sun, confusion evident in her eyes. “I do not understand this reaction. Did I say something amusing?”

“We’ve had dealings with Braca in the past,” Aeryn clarified. “He was always one to follow, or so I thought. I never imagined he would have such ambitions.” Every time they crossed paths with Braca he was always at the side of someone else; Scorpius, and then Grayza. 

Rylani let the comment fall by the wayside, her attention drifted back to the transport pod to see the very person she thought she would never see again. The Sabacean male she met, and recreated with, on Nor’Takan three. ‘Deke.’ Her mind whispered his name. She was careful to keep her face neutral, and her body as still as she could make it. Inside she was shaking, but her voice stayed even, “You must be D’Argo Sun-Crichton.”

Deke was stopped dead in his tracks seeing Rayvin again, standing on the deck in full Peacekeeper uniform. Gone was the woman he shared a cold night with, the one he wanted to see again. And yet, this version was just as enticing. Her voice was music to his ears. Deke wanted to go to her, take her in his arms, and ravish her. He fought that impulse as they were surrounded by soldiers, and his parents. “And you are?” he asked in return, stepping in front of his parents holding his hand out to her, daring her. 

“Captain Rylani Rayvin Shanu,” Rylnai greeted, resisting the urge to smile warmly at him. She placed her hand in his. “Welcome aboard the Zelbinion.” His fingers wrapped around hers, warm and strong. The electricity was back, jumping from her skin into his and back again. She had to stop this, to step back, and put some modicum amount of distance between them. “If you will follow me, I will escort you to Commandant Braca, and then it will be explained as to why you’ve all been invited.”

John leaned in close to Aeryn, “Shanu?”

“I heard,” Aeryn nodded. “Don’t jump to conclusions,” she urged her husband.

“Lead on,” Deke ignored his mom and dad. He knew about Scorpius, about his pursuit of John Crichton all over the galaxy just for wormhole technology. That was his dad’s history and he wasn’t going to let it color his view of the startling, amazing woman in front of him. 

Rylani took her hand back, feeling the loss of his skin against hers, and then turned to lead them off the hangar deck. As she walked she was intensely aware of Deke staring at her, his eyes burning holes into her back. She could tell her was undressing her with his eyes, and it thrilled her. Rylani was careful not to give any hint of her connection to the man behind her. 

John flicked his son in the shoulder, motioning his son to fall back, “What’re you doing?” He could see the interest his son had for the Peacekeeper leading them down the corridor.

“Oh, come on dad,” Deke shrugged. “Always was a sucker for a red head,” he laughed, jogging to catch up with Rayvin.

“This is gonna be bad,” John commented to his wife.

“Remind you of anyone?” Aeryn joked. Her son was acting just like John had when they had first met. 

“That’s not funny,” John smiled in spite of himself. Living his life the way he had, falling in love with Aeryn, he couldn’t imagine his life going any other way. He loved his wife, he loved his son. If anything, he wanted to spare his son the pain he’d gone through to get to where he was now. 

“Leave him be,” Aeryn wrapped her arm around John’s. “After this is over, he’ll never see her again. Let him indulge this once.”

“That has disaster written all over it,” John remarked sarcastically. 

Up a little way, Deke put distance between him and his parents. “So, you’re a Peacekeeper Captain. Never would have imagined that.” When he replayed their encounter, he couldn’t picture her as a high ranking officer; not the way they went at each other. He pictured her as one of those rough and tumble soldiers that were unkempt and spoiling for fights. Seeing her in a polished uniform shattered that image, and gave him new thoughts of peeling the leather from her to get at her pale skin so he could drag his tongue over the orange/gold accent marks on her body. 

Rylani kept her eyes forward, her face neutral, but let her voice fill with a playfully teasing tone, “I was recently promoted to Captain. This is new, being a liaison, and working out in the open.” She had been apart, in command actually, of a special commando unit that had been attached to her father’s Gammak base. She was a hunter, a predator, and very good at what she did. Glancing at Deke, she asked, “Have you ever heard of ‘Black Ghost’s’?”

“Yeah,” Deke nodded. “My mom told me about them a little. She always thought of them as disgraces, being messy and lacking any formal military discipline.” Hearing her talk about them had fueled Deke’s little boy fantasies of roaming the galaxy answerable to no one. 

“Well, you are talking to a former ‘disgrace’,” Rylani informed, a smirk present on her lips. She wasn’t mad at him. Her former position, one she hoped to regain, had been something she’d been groomed for. 

“Oh,” Deke rubbed at the back of his head, “dren…” Then he chuckled, brushing at her left shoulder, pretending to knock dust off her uniform, “You clean up rather nicely.” She stopped, turning to face him, while being acutely aware that his parents were watching them intensely. In her eyes he could see the spark of desire that mirrored his. Everything else about her was closed off, professional; military. Her eyes were all for him. 

Rylani couldn’t give any hint of intimate connection between her and Deke. Not with his parents standing so close. Thus she said, “That will be the first, and last time, you touch me without my permission.” It killed her to say those words, and she didn’t understand why she was feeling that way. She’d had male companions before, but none like him. Deke was singular in her eyes. 

“Apologies,” Deke inclined his head. “It won’t happen again… without your permission.” He hoped he got to have her again, in any way she would let him. In the half cycle they had been apart, he found himself looking for her on every planet, on every station, they’d visited for supplies. He craved to be with her again.

 

CONFERENCE ROOM:

 

Rylani motioned for the three Crichton’s to walk into the room a head of her. She had to catch her breath, to calm her rapidly beating heart. Deke had her mind racing with so many desires that it was nearly impossible for her to breathe deeply. His scent surrounded her, filled her, had her wanting to kiss him. She had to get control. Now was not to be a wanton female needing to have base hungers sated. When she felt she had gained enough control, she turned to enter the room. It was then she received another shock. Her parents were already there. 

Scorpius stood in close proximity to his mate, Sikozu Shanu, as they waited for their daughter to arrive. She didn’t notice them when the door opened, she was pre-occupied, and that gave him time to assess her. The solar days as a Captain had been good to her. She bore the rank proudly as any soldier would who had achieved so much in such a short amount of time. Scorpius was proud of her. Angling his body, he hid his arm wrapping around Sikozu’s waist. In this room he was still a Peacekeeper Commander, and not just a mated man.

Sikozu moved into Scorpius’s side, accepting the protective hold he was giving her. Crichton was glaring at her, but she was paying him no mind. Her attention was reserved for her child. The moment their eyes met, mother and daughter shared a smile that burned brighter than the sun. Glancing up to her mate, he nodded, giving her leave to go to Rylani. Sikozu crossed the room, even strides carrying her closer to the child she had not seen in half a cycle. The time apart had been hard. 

Rylani stood before her mother, feeling the space between them shrink considerably. Every child ached for their parent, she was no different. She was unlike any other Peacekeeper born aboard a Command Carrier. Rylani had been raised by her parents, not thrust into a life of training and orders. She knew the love of her sires. Reaching out at the same time, her hands gripped her mother’s upper arms at the same time her mother’s hands cupped her face. “I have missed you, mother,” she whispered the moment their brows touched. 

“We are together now,” Sikozu breathed out in loving whisper before pulling back to gaze into her child’s eyes. “The distance between us is no longer so great.” Not caring who saw them, Sikozu embraced her daughter. Rylani buried her face in the crook of her neck, wrapping her arms around her in turn. This was what she missed the most; holding her child.

Scorpius remained stoic, given that Crichton was staring at him. The cycles between them diminished nothing. No doubt John believed he was here to have another crack at obtaining wormhole technology from inside his mind. Nothing could be further from the truth. On the day Rylani had been born, he promised her, and himself, that he was done with wormholes. The lifelong obsession paled in comparison to the life of his child. He would not risk her for his vengeance. 

Sikozu released Rylani and said, “Congratulations on being promoted.” She felt sad that she hadn’t been here to see her being made Captain.

“Thank you, mother,” Rylani nodded. She then looked over at her father. Stepping away from her mother, she crossed the rest of the room to stand before him in proper military stance. It didn’t matter to her that strangers were watching them. She missed her father, and was genuinely happy to see him.

Scorpius gazed upon his pride and joy, seeing how she bore the rank of Captain so well on her shoulders. She was no stranger to command, being the lead of a Marauder strike team. This new rank gave her more authority; which he knew she would exercise with a firm hand when needed. Not caring who saw them, he placed his hands on her shoulder, a smirk curving his black lips. He pulled her close, his cheek resting atop her head, his left hand cupping the back of her neck, and his right arm across his daughters back. “I always knew you’d make Captain.” 

Rylani embraced her father, her cheek resting on the armor chest piece. He didn’t say it, but the way he held her told her that he was proud of her. That more than anything had her smiling, glad that no one could see it. Her fingers dug into his back, physically thanking him rather than saying anything. Reluctantly, she pulled back, not letting it show on her face just how happy she was to have him there. Only her eyes registered her true feelings, just like he taught her.

Deke tried to see the monster in Scorpius his father had made the leather clad Sabacean/Scarran out to be. In this moment, when he held his daughter, he didn’t see it. Then again, this was just one moment in time. He was sure there would be plenty of time that his father’s words would get the chance to be proven. Right now he liked seeing her with her dad.

Aeryn was a mother, she knew the look of love when she saw it. Not even as emotionally distant as Sikozu and Scorpius were, they weren’t immune to it when in the presence of a child they created. She should be shocked that they were still together, but she wasn’t. Scorpius and Sikozu were simply meant to be together; she could see it. Aeryn took her husband’s hand, lacing their fingers together. She was trying not to feel anything, knowing what Scorpius was like, and by extension Sikozu. 

John reacted to Aeryn taking his hand. His grip tightened on hers. It was hard not to see the family dynamic before them. Sikozu took her place beside Scorpius, and their daughter standing close by them conversing in low tones with Braca. “Why are we here if y’all are gonna ignore us?”

Rylani looked at Crichton the elder, “You’re right. Please, have a seat and we will get started.” She motioned for her parents, and Braca, to sit first. A show of good faith. All the while, her eyes held Deke’s. He was the first to move, the first to sit. She breathed a little easier when everyone else followed suit. Moving to the corner of the table, Rylani keyed in a command to bring up a 3-D display in the center. Braca informed her this morning that she would be the one to head this briefing, she might as well get used to it. “Two cycles ago High Command became aware of a disease spreading through territory worlds.” She hit another key, highlighting the worlds that had so far been infected. “The reports gathered indicated that mass hysteria and violence broke out leaving so many dead, and so much devastation.”

“What does any of this have to do with us?” John piped up. This information was familiar, and it made the bottom drop out of his stomach.

“Because,” Rylani gazed at the elder Crichton, “you have had dealings with the Nebari. Our scientists have tracked the disease to them. It has taken me well over a cycle to build a rapport with the Nebari Resistance, especially this individual.” She brought up an image of a prominent resistance leader. “I believe you know him as Neeri. He’s reluctantly asked for Peacekeeper help.”

“Chiana’s brother is still alive?” Aeryn asked because she dared not ask what she really wanted to know. It had been three cycles since Chiana had been on Moya. D’Argo’s death had broken her and she couldn’t be around Jothee.

“Yes,” Rylani confirmed, glancing at her father. He only nodded. “Sources tell me she joined forces with him about the same time I was tasked with investigating this.” Out of the corner of her eye she saw Deke’s hands clench. Was it out of jealousy? 

“I’m still not clear on why you need us?” John raised his hand, sarcasm dripping from every word. He, along with his wife, and the others on Moya, wouldn’t be thrilled if they had to enter into another devil’s bargain with Scorpius, Sikozu, and Braca. Those never ended well. 

“Commander,” Rylani started to say, and then sighed taking her seat across from him. She placed herself at eye level with him, rather than standing to hold the dominant high ground. “You and your crew have a certain reputation that is rather impressive. Your flare for the dramatic would be of great use to me.” She held up her hand to forestall any arguments, she continued, “Half a cycle ago I was given information that would help end this Nebari assault on us all.”

John sat back, his eyes watching the girl across from him. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to manipulate him or if she was genuinely honest in wanting to end the violence the Nebari were initiating. The few run ins with the Nebari they’d had over the cycles had left him with little doubt that she was exaggerating. “It’s taken them this long to begin their giant FRELL YOU on the galaxy?”

“Twenty-two cycles ago the galaxy was embroiled in a war that forced the Nebari to pull back, close their boarders, and wait until the fighting was done.” Rylani replied. The look to received was not a friendly one. Thankfully, a signal from the door censor waylaid any arguments that could get started. “Excuse me,” she got up.

Aeryn shifted in her seat, turning towards John, “What’re you thinking?” 

“Oh, we’re being manipulated,” John glanced at Aeryn and then pointed to Scorpius. “At least it’s being done by a prettier face than his.”

Across the table Scorpius resisted the urge to hiss, “That was uncalled for, John.” Under the table, Sikozu’s hand rested on his thigh. The warmth of her hand bleeding through the leather of his cooling suit. “If my daughter wished to manipulate you, trust me, you wouldn’t see it coming.”

“Is Scorpy-Junior planning on sticking another neural clone in my head? If so tell me now, so I can sleep with one eye open and my finger on the trigger.” John sniped. 

Scorpius hissed.

“John…” Aeryn scolded.

“Scorpius…” Sikozu shook her head. 

At the door, Rylani ignored the exchange at the table so she could focus on Lt. Jella. “You have the information I require?”

“Yes, Captain,” Jella responded handing her the data chip. “How’s it going?” At one time, he and Rylani had been something closely akin to friends. Then, she went on to be trained as commando and they lost touch. 

“About as well as you’d expect,” Rylani answered. “Why did this take so long?” she asked keeping the conversation on topic. 

“The information was corrupted. We had to break it down, and reconstruct it line by line.” Jella replied. “It took longer than we anticipated, and the fault is mine should you wish to punish someone.” 

“Jella, I do not wish to reprimand anyone,” Rylani assured. “But you are certain you reconstructed it?” 

“Yes, Captain.” Jelle nodded. 

“Good. You’re dismissed.” Rylani put command into her voice. He nodded sharply, and then left. She returned to the table, reacting to the strong tension that was filling the large room. “Commander Crichton,” there was a notable tone of hostility in her voice, “you asked why you were here.” Putting the data chip in the slot, she brought up the star chart. “This is why we need you, and Moya.” 

Scorpius set aside his annoyance with Crichton, getting up to walk around the table to stand next to his daughter. “Is this accurate information?” 

“The information came from you Kalish contact,” Rylani replied, crossing her arms over her chest, turning to face her father. “You should have a conversation with him. The information was corrupted. My techs spent the last week reconstructing this data. I assure you, father, it is accurate.”

“Excuse me!” Deke called attention to himself. “What are we actually looking at here?” He wanted Rayvin’s attention on him.

Rylani gave her attention to Deke, resisting the urge to smile. “You are looking at the reason we invited you here.” Stepping away from her father, she got back on task. “Do you see this section of space?”

Deke got up, walking around to stand next to Rylani, slightly crowding her. “Show me,” he said.

“Alright,” Rylani tried to hold on to her composure given that her father was eyeing her in his usual perceptive manner. It meant he would be asking her all sorts of questions later. She pointed to a blackened corridor of space that spanned Nebari space and claimed territory that belonged to renegade and pirates. “This small passageway is what you would call a dead zone.”

“You have my undivided attention,” Deke smirked. 

“This dead zone is un-traversable for normal ships like this Command Carrier, but Leviathan’s do not have this problem. It’s because of this corridor was created.” Rylani shifted the image, showing twin white stars orbiting the heart of a dying red dwarf. “These twin white stars create a dampening field that affect all types of ships, except living ships.

“And that’s why you want Moya.” Deke nodded.

“Yes, your Leviathan has done things that no other has. She is remarkable, but I want you to know this does carry some risk to her. If you would allow it,” Rylani looked from Deke, to his father, and then his mother, “I would like to bring my proposal directly to Pilot and Moya.”

“Don’t Peacekeepers have their own Leviathan transports?” Deke asked.

“Yes, but because they are under the influence of control collars, it’s dumbs down their reaction times. Moya does not have that problem.” Rylani answered. “She can think and react without being told what to do.”

“What’s at the end of this yellow brick road?” John asked. He was ready to shove off this boat and get back to Moya and just put this whole day behind him. 

Sikozu spoke up, “This.” She slid a file across the table. “What you are looking at, Crichton, is a deep space communications relay. This device is what activated the disease the Nebari spread throughout the galaxy. There are five other relays that broadcast the activation signal, but once the main one is destroyed the others will shut down.”

“Are we free to leave?” John asked, standing up taking the file Sikozu had slid across the table towards him. Against his better judgement, he was going to review the information and talk it over with Aeryn and everyone else on Moya.

“Completely,” Braca confirmed.

“Then we’ll get back to you.” John said sharply. “Deke, let’s go.”

“I’ll stay,” Deke said. “The moment any decision is made; I can relay it to them. If the choice is made to part ways, I’m sure the Captain won’t mind ferrying me back to Moya.”

“Of course not,” Rylani nodded. “You are my guest for as long as you like.”

 

EVENING:

 

Scorpius sat on the black sofa in his assigned quarters thinking about the day’s events. Specifically, the interaction between Rylani and the young Crichton. He noticed every smirk the young male sent his daughters way, every moment of eye contact the two had. It bothered him on a paternal level the amount of attention Rylani had gotten from the young man.

Across the room, Sikozu watched Scorpius as he sat brooding. She walked to him, placing her hands on his shoulders, and sitting astride his lap. “Why are you frowning?” she asked when his hands rested on her hips. “Could it have something to do with all the attention our daughter was receiving this afternoon?” Sikozu knew how protective he was over Rylani, he didn’t want to see her start something that had no hope of being sustainable. She didn’t want to see her daughter get hurt.

“I knew as she grew older, she would draw all sorts of attention,” Scorpius replied. “Seeing the attention young Crichton paid to her, I….” 

“You ground your teeth and fought the primal urge you had to rip his head off,” Sikozu nodded. She felt the same. Rylani was the most important person to her and Scorpius. She was theirs to protect, even though she was an adult. 

“Yes,” Scorpius brought his right hand up, taking hold of her golden orange braid. His thumb rubbed up and down in slow deliberate strokes. He knew his daughter, knew that no matter what she would remain professional and keep her emotions in check. It was how he trained her to be with others.

“You are her father, and that is your right,” Sikozu kissed him gently, and then rested her forehead against his.

 

OFFICER’S CLUB:

 

Deke walked into the club where the upper echelon of the Peacekeeper ranks socialized. His eyes scanned all the faces until his found the one he wanted. Capain Rylani Rayvin Shanu sat alone at a table, drink halfway to her beautiful black lips. He remembered how she kissed him, passionately dominating his mouth. It propelled him closer to her table, drawing her attention up to him. “Captain, may I join you?” he asked.

Rylani smiled, she couldn’t help it, seeing Deke standing at her table. “D’Argo Sun-Crichton, to what do I owe this pleasure?” She motioned for him to take a seat very aware that they were drawing the attention of every officer. During this public exchange, she had to be very careful about what she said lest word reach her father that she was acting unprofessional. She had her rank to consider.

“I’m new around here,” Deke chuckled. “Yours is the only face that’s familiar. I hope I’m not disturbing you?” He could see open files spread out on the table before them. She was a work-a-holic. Seeing her so consumed with work reminded him of how his dad spent some of his days. John Crichton was still so obsessed with wormholes.

“No, not at all,” Rylani gathered up the reports she had been studying so she could set them aside. “Are there problems with your accommodations? Should I have you assigned new quarters?” While he was here, she wanted him as comfortable as he could be. The rest of the day had slipped by with no word from Moya. Clearly the crew was having a hard time coming to an agreement.

“In truth, I haven’t been to them yet,” Deke smiled. “I’ve been too busy roaming about this ship. My mom tells me about the Command Carrier she grew up on, and walking around this one, I could picture her as a child.” He spent the last arn wondering around the halls that all looked the same. How did anyone navigate around a hulking monstrosity like this? Then again, the same could be said about Moya. Every hall on the Leviathan looked the same to someone who didn’t live there every day.

“You cannot find them, can you?” Rylani asked, hearing what he wasn’t saying to her. It made her chuckle in amusement. He looked down, bashfully adverting his gaze. “Then, allow me to take you to them.” Getting up, she headed away from the table acutely aware of how close he was following her. It made her remember their night on that ice planet. She thought about it all the time, as well as his hope they would meet again. The universe was perverse in its sense of timing. It brought him back into her life during a very dangerous time.

Deke was not ashamed to admit that he was watching Rayvin walk in front of him, and a little ahead, so he could see the way the leather hugged her backside. All those time as a child, he was grossed out by his dad doing it to his mom, Deke now understood the pleasure derived from the act. He would gladly watch Rayvin walk in front of him for as long as he could. Almost as if she sensed his thoughts, she turned to him. Deke only smiled broadly.

 

VISITOR QUARTERS:

 

Rylani stood by the open door, “Here you are, safe and sound.” She handed him a comms device, and added, “Should you need anything, you can contact me any time. Or…” 

“Should my family come to terms and render a verdict, I’ll let you know immediately.” Deke joked. Walking by her, he gipped her arm, and tugged her in after him. The moment the door closed, he pushed her up against the bulk head and kissed her. She gripped the front of his shirt. For a moment he thought she was going to push him away, but was pleasantly surprised when she hauled him even closer. Her arms moved up, draping over his shoulders leaving him to drop his hands down to her waist. Deke caressed her amazing leather clad backside, squeezing hard enough to make her moan.

Ryani buried her fingers in Deke’s hair, much as she had that night on the ice planet. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this, but he felt so good against her, and she needed to have him again. He picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. She was distinctly aware of him carrying her towards the bed. It would be a step up from their last encounter; a pile of fur blankets. Then again, she hardly noticed as all of her attention was on him. She gasped when he set her on the bed and licked her lips watching him take off his black leather jacket and shirt. The movement of his muscles had her growling in wicked delight.

Deke stepped to the edge of the bed, gripping Rylani by the back of her knees to yank her close. His hands set to work loosening every clasp of her black and red leather uniform jacket. Finally, he had it open, pushing it off her shoulders, where he revealed the tight black muscle shirt beneath. She pushed his hands away, and tugged off her shirt. He was going to take his time exploring the orange accents along her ribs. Deke knelt down before her, fitting himself between her thighs. “Lie back,” he said roughly.

Rylani did as he instructed, lying back. She couldn’t help the quivering in her stomach that accompanied a certain sense of uncertainty. Being passive was new for her. She was one to be rough and tumble, taking what she wanted, and parting ways after it was over. What Deke inspired in her was something she didn’t know how to handle very well, but she would give it a try because it was Deke. She moaned when his lips touched her stomach below her navel; her muscles tensing. Her back arched in response to him dragging the tip of his tongue up.

Deke was getting lost in the sensation of Rayvin beneath him, of the taste of her skin against his tongue. Belatedly, in the back of his mind, he registered that his comms was chirping at him.

“D’Argo…!”

 

TO BE CONTINUED:


	3. Chapter 3

HYBRIDS:  
PART II

 

Rylani lay under Deke’s heavy body quaking from release. They were so ravenous for each other; they didn’t undress all the way. His hard body weighed her down in such a way that she didn’t want to let him leave her. But the incessant, almost grating voice of an unknown male coming through the comms that rested on the small table. “Who is that?” she asked followed by a groan when he shifted over her. Deke currently had his face buried in the side of her neck, his lips nibbling at her pulse. She licked her lips in delight. This was what addiction had to feel like. 

Deke groaned, reluctant to move from between Rylani’s thighs. “That yammering you hear, is Stark.” When he was lost in the sensation of her, he ignored the demanding voice of his father. To get back at him, his dad put Stark on the comms to annoy him into answering. Before, it had always worked like a charm. Right now, he couldn’t care less. “Ignore him,” Deke urged. “He’ll eventually stop.”

“And if he does not?” Rylani asked, tightening her knees on his sides. “Then, your father may get it in his head to come back here, find your quarters, and….” The last thing she wanted was for Deke’s father to come back here, to find them like this. It would cause trouble between him and his family. Rylani refused to be the cause of that.

Deke groaned, leaving the warm embrace of her body. Pulling up his leather pants, he zipped them, and then grabbed up his comms. “What do you want, Stark?”

“Crichton! I got him! He answered! D’Argo answered!”

“Yeah, I heard that Astro Boy. No go! Deke, why were you ignoring me?”

Deke rolled his eyes, “I was busy.” He watched Rylani hop into her pants, and replacing her tank top. She sat in the middle of his bed, her legs crossed, and her eyes locked with his. “Has everyone reached a decision?” he asked, hoping to change the subject. His dad sighed over the open channel. 

“Pilot isn’t sure yet if he wants to talk to Scorpy-Junior, but the rest of us are gonna give him space and let him think about it. If she’s willing to wait, then when she brings you back, she can stay.”

“I’ll pass that message along when I find her,” Deke said, smirking at Rylani. She shook her head at him. “It’s a big ship, after all….” 

“Just get back here. The sooner Pilot says no, the sooner we can leave Peacekeeper space.”

“Alright,” Deke nodded. “I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back.” He closed the channel. “Well, that was fun.” In a tired gesture, he tossed the comms device back on the small black table. 

“Give me an arn, and I will be ready to go,” Rylani picked up her uniform jacket after she climbed out of bed. She had preparations to make, supplies to pack. She needed to change, and make sure her Prowler was in fine working order. There was a lot to do and she couldn’t stay with Deke any longer if she wanted everything done.

Deke caught her before she managed to make it to the door. “Rushing off so soon? I thought we could play some more,” he tried to kiss her, but her hands planted firmly on his chest. “My dad killed the mood, didn’t he?”

“Not entirely,” Rylani answered, stepping back. “You should be aware that my father and mother will insist upon joining me for this mission. It will cause tensions to rise with your family and the crew of Moya. You should be prepared for that.” It would be hard enough being on the ship with Deke so near, and she would have to be on guard around him, fighting her desires for him.

“We’ll handle it,” Deke assured. “It’s not like those two haven’t been on Moya before.” He wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her back against his chest. As much power and persuasion as he held on the ship he would try and maintain the peace and keep things from getting out of hand.

Rylani freed herself from his hold, “I would not want to put you directly in their path.” She feared for what her father would do if he found she was cavorting with the son of John Crichton. No knowing was the worst sort of feeling shed ever experienced. 

“I can handle it,” Deke promised. He saw sadness in her eyes, and more than anything he wanted to chase it away. Taking her face between his hands, he placed his lips to hers, kissing her gently before letting her go.

 

ONE ARN LATER:

 

John stood with Aeryn, Jothee, and Stark waiting for the bay doors to open. Pilot had signaled that a Marauder and a Prowler had landed. That immediately had John’s guard up, and his hand resting over the grip of Wynonna. Then the doors opened, and his paranoia was justified. Scorpius was the first face he saw, and it made him want to puke. This was déjà vu all over again, and John knew it would bite them all in the ass. Scorpius was as if he stepped out of a nightmare; tall and imposing, and covered in the leather of his cooling suit. Not looking a cycle older. Standing to his right, looking as young, was Sikozu. She’d let her Kalish features come back, her hair grown out, and secured in a braid. She was dressed in black, but the sleeveless vest was different. A replica of the armor Scorpius wore. 

John immediately freed Wynonna from her holster, “What the frell are you doing here?!”

Rylani reacted, breaking from Deke’s side to place herself between Crichton and her father, “No!”

“Dad,” Deke went to his father. “I said it would be ok.” That got his father’s attention.

“You what?” John asked his son while keeping eyes on the monster that had hunted him all over the galaxy and back again. He had a moments pause when he saw Scorpius placed his daughter behind him, protecting her. That was not the actions of a true monster.

“If I was in the Captain’s place, and suggested such a risky undertaking, you and mom would want to be there to watch my back. You would do anything to keep me from getting killed.” Deke argued gently. “That’s all they want to do.” His words had the desired effect. It got his father to lower his pulse pistol.

“Your mistake is in thinking they consider things like that, as if they were normal.” John hissed in anger. 

“Maybe I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.” Deke replied calmly. 

 

LOWER TIER:

 

Scorpius hissed, “The irony of this situation is not lost on me.” His former cell contained not only him, but his mate, and child. John and his son stood on the other side, securing the door. “John, keeping us in here is entirely unnecessary.” It galled him to no end that in the intervening cycles Crichton hadn’t yet put to rest his infantile obsession with betrayal. 

“We think it is,” John replied. He knew this door wouldn’t hope up against Scorpius, but it gave them some false sense of security and peace of mind knowing that he was in a semi-secure cell. “Pilot hasn’t made up his mind about talking with Junior yet. It’s better for everyone if you stay here, out of the way.” 

“As you wish,” Sikozu sneered. She moved in close to Scorpius’s side, her eyes firmly rooted on Crichton. It didn’t thrill her to be back on this living ship, but seeing that her daughter was here, it was where she had to be as well. There were dangers facing her daughter outside of Peacekeeper controlled space that Scorpius and she had planned for. This mission would put Rylani in harm’s way.

Deke stood on the other side of the cell door, “I’m sorry about this.” It made him disappointed that his father was acting this way. He could semi understand wanting to keep Scorpius and Sikozu locked up, but not Rylani. She hadn’t harmed them in any way, shape, or form. She was being punished for simply being their child. 

“I understand,” Rylani bit out. “I treat you with honor and dignity, giving you freedom to move about, and in return I am a made a prisoner.” She wasn’t angry with Deke. He was as shocked about this as she was angry. “Your father calls mine a monster. But who in this moment is more monstrous?” She shook her head, pulling away from the door to go and stand next to her father.

“We want you all in one place where we can keep an eye on you while Pilot still decides if he wants to talk to you.” John said, addressing Rylani. “If he feels uncomfortable at the prospect of talking to you, then you three will be free to go on your merry way subjugating the galaxy.”

Rylani, showing just how Scarran she was, hissed is annoyance at John Crichton’s retreating back. Deke tried to give her a sympathetic look, but she wouldn’t let him. She rolled her eyes, and scowled. This was not what she expected but it did give her a chance to see the surroundings that allowed her father and mother to interact. It had a small, amused smile curving her lips, and she couldn’t help the little laugh.

“Is something amusing?” Sikozu asked her daughter.

“No,” Rylani shook her head, “not really. I just cannot believe that we are in this cell. Father’s former cell.”

Reluctantly, Scorpius admitted, “There are a few good memories here.” He sat on the edge of the metal, one leg crossed over the other, and he slightly reclined back supporting his weight on his left hand. Sikozu came to stand in front of him, but he continued to speak to his daughter, “Your mother was the only one to interact with me freely, willingly.” 

“That’s because you were the most interesting one on this ship,” Sikozu smirked.

“And your mother is always right,” Scorpius replied, tossing the comment over his shoulder towards his daughter. 

“I learned that when I was three cycles old, father.” Rylani confirmed, moving around the metal cot to stand next to her mother.

Scorpius stayed where he was, marveling at his mate and child as they stood side by side. They were near mirror images of each other, except for the genetic markers Rylani had denoting her Scarran heritage from him. All those cycles he spent alone, isolated from others, hadn’t prepared him for the life he now lived. Sometimes he had to stop and take it all in. This was his family. He loathed the fact they were locked in his former cell. He’d come so far just to end up right back where he and Sikozu started out.

“Didn’t you and mother meet in a grave?” Rylani asked.

“Yes,” Scorpius answered. “But we didn’t hold a conversation with each other. I only had enough time save her life, so she could keep me from being buried alive.”

“And we know how that worked out,” Sikozu reminded. Leaving that grave in one piece had been the beginning of her being ostracized from the crew. At first being mistrusted by everyone had hurt, it had driven her to seek out Scorpius in the first place, and then things naturally progressed to the point where he was her only ally. 

“For the best I thought,” Scorpius replied.

“Yes,” Sikozu relented, and took a seat next to him. They were going to be in the cell for a while. She might as well make herself comfortable. Because she knew she could, she stretched out on her side, her head resting in his lap. Scorpius shifted slightly, his right hand resting on her waist. 

Rylani backed away, taking a seat on one of the wall supports that jutted out of the cell walls. She could imagine her father as he had been in this cell, sitting, contemplating his next move, or how he would turn a situation to his advantage. Her father thrived in quiet just as well as he thrived off the chaos of any given situation. And her mother had adopted the same habit. He was broken out of her reverie when a DRD nudged her foot, its small canon flexing as if reminding her that she was under guard. Her response was to growl at it.

“Flissok Taka!”

Rylani watched as the DRD shut down. Her attention was then diverted to the cell door where she saw Deke standing. “You speak Pilot?”

“A word here and there,” Deke answered giving her a shrug.

“Vakla norrok vez plokon? Krejna Scarn za?” Rylani asked, rising to her feet to close the distance between them.

Deke knew the Scarran language when he heard it, but he never took the time to learned it. With a laugh he asked, “What did you say?” 

“Obviously not,” Rylani chuckled. “I asked if you spoke anything else. Scarran perhaps?”

“No, but the way you speak it, I might be tempted to learn.” Deke replied and cleared his throat. “I came to get you out of here,” he told her. “Pilot has consented to talk to you, but only you. He doesn’t trust Scorpius, or Sikozu.”

“I see,” Rylani glanced back at her parents. They were watched her, and the young Crichton with curious, quiet, interest. Did she just give herself away? Had they worked out that she knew Deke more intimately than was appropriate for a soldier of her rank? “Then let me out.” 

Deke backed away, waving his hand over the door censor. It opened, and he had an unobstructed view of her. She took his breath away standing there before him in tight black leather pants, a tailored long coat with an armored bodice that matched what her mother and father had. He liked how her hair was braided back away from her face, with a few errant strands falling free to accent her eyes. She looked amazing.

“What about them?” Rylani motioned to her parents, who were now standing. She didn’t want to look at them, because she dreaded what she would find in their eyes.

“They’ll have to stay here, at least until Pilot and Moya make their decision. After that, the three of you will be free to go or stay.” Deke informed, closing the door. Then, to Scorpius and Sikozu he said, “I really am sorry about this. It wasn’t the choice I would have made.”

“This was not your doing, young Crichton.” Scorpius nodded, careful to keep his tone even. His paternal instincts rose in response to the young man flirting with his daughter. 

“Yeah, you make my dad paranoid,” Deke shrugged.

“Alright, let’s go,” Rylani spoke up before her father could reply to Deke’s statement.

 

PILOT’S DEN:

 

Deke pulled Rylani to a stop just before the door swung open. He turned her to face him, standing in close to her, making her look up at him. “Before you go in, we might want to make a few changes to your attire.” Without waiting for her to question him, he reached out and undid the clasps of her long jacket. “This makes you look a little too intimidating,” Deke added as he pushed the fabric off her shoulders. Taking it, he slung it over the crook of his arm, holding on to it for her. She now looked as if she belonged in the crew wearing only her leather pants, her black tank top with the hem barely whispering above the waistband.

“Were you concerned I would terrify your Pilot?” Rylani asked, fighting the urge she had to reclaim her jacket. She wanted to be wearing it. It separated her from the crew of Moya. Not like they needed the reminder that she wasn’t one of them. She wasn’t. To them, she was the enemy simply because she was the daughter of Scorpius and Sikozu.

Deke crossed his arms over his chest, “I wasn’t.” He couldn’t see her as terrifying, or a monster. He’d seen her as a gentle, easy to smile woman that was behind the soldier she was made in to. This must be how his dad saw his mom every time he looked at her. Today, he understood them a little better than he did the day before.

Rylani placed her hands on Deke’s shoulders, fingers digging into his muscles as she rose up to kiss him gently on the lips. She pulled back, “Thank you.” Rylani wasn’t sure what she was thanking him for. Was it because he didn’t think of her as a monster? Was it just because he was kind? She wasn’t sure. So, she wouldn’t question it. Rylani moved to trigger the door sensor making it swing open allowing her entrance into Pilot’s den. 

Pilot looked up to see a young woman coming towards him. At first glance he thought it was Sikozu coming towards him, but when she passed under a light, he saw it wasn’t. The woman coming towards him was a genetic blend of two individuals who were despised and mistrusted aboard this ship. When he looked into her eyes, however, he did not see malice or an intent to mislead. Pilot saw kindness.

“Hello Pilot,” Rylani greeted, her tone soft. “Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

“There did not seem to be much choice,” Pilot remarked adverting his gaze. 

“You could have said no,” Rylani stated gently, walking closer to him until she stood within reach. “I would have understood given the history this crew has with my parents.” She looked around, amazed by the enormity of the den. Somehow, it seemed more impressive than any other she’d seen simply because this Pilot had no control collar. He could think and feel on his own.

“You are here now,” Pilot said, two of his arms continuing to function and regulate Moya’s systems.

Rylani indicated the edge of the console, “May I sit?” Pilot nodded. She hefted herself up to sit on the edge. From inside a small side pocket, she produced a data chip, “This is all the information I have gathered about the Dead Zone. I will not lie; it will carry a certain amount of risk. There is subsonic radiation throughout the entire corridor that induces paranoia within a living ship, but for whatever reason, the Pilot is left unscathed. This part of space is a bit of contradiction. A Leviathan can traverse it, but go insane. A normal vessel will die before it gets so much as metra inside the boarder. Also, contained within this chip is a detailed flight vector. The path through the dead zone I have charted is where the radiation will do as little damage to Moya as possible, but following has to be precise…”

“And you wish Moya to put her sanity at risk for you?” Pilot asked taking the data chip she offered him.

“No,” Rylani shook her head. “I will not ask you to do this for me, for your crew, for Chiana, but because Moya and you agree that it is the right thing to do.” She took a breath, and then continued, “If you agree, there is some small measure of relief I can provide.”

“What sort of relief?” Pilot asked.

“There is a Peacekeeper supply planet on the boarder of Coalition space that we can stop at and I can pick up supplies to make a gas that will give Moya a temporary euphoric feeling to help combat the onset of paranoia, but she will need you to keep reminding her that everything is fine, and it will all be over soon.” Rylani rested her arms on her thighs, clasping her hands together between her parted knees. Making the concoction would require either the aide of her mother, or the old demon, Noranti.

“I will talk this over with Moya,” Pilot responded. As the young woman moved to leave he also said, “Thank you for coming to talk to us directly.”

“I thought the two of you should be given a choice in all this.” Rylani nodded, and then left him to his thoughts. She knew she gave him a lot to think about, and she hated to lay such a burden on his and Moya’s shoulders. Rylani believed that this crew was the best chance the galaxy had at stopping the Nebari. Her father had told her many times they were resourceful, and now she had a chance to see it for herself.

 

HOLDING CELL:

 

Scorpius lay on the cot in the center of the cell, his left foot planted on the floor. At his side was Sikozu, her head resting on his chest. Lightly, his right hand stroked the back of her head, the tips of his fingers playing with her braid. “Did you hear how Rylani’s voice changed when she spoke to the young Crichton?” The words his daughter used caused such a resounding sense of déjà vu with him. He had said the same thing to Sikozu the first time they spoke.

“I did,” Sikozu nodded. “It seems our child fancies young Crichton.” She would be lying if she thought this was a good idea. “I would prefer it if we were not headed into certain danger. Her potential infatuation with that young man could be dangerous. He could distract her.”

Scorpius didn’t reply as his attention was momentarily diverted away from his mate, and to the sound of John Crichton’s heartbeat. He kissed the top of her head, before sitting up. “You can stop lurking now, John.” Scorpius stood up where Sikozu remained sitting.

John stepped out of the shadows, coming to the cell wall. In this part of the galaxy every being had extended life spans due to the advancement of medicine, but time still caught up to everyone. He had streaks of grey in his hair denoting his age, but he still felt as good as he did ten cycles ago. Yet, while he looked at Scorpius and Sikozu, he saw no telltale intervention of time. Sikozu looked as youthful as ever and Scorpius, well, he looked about the same. “Have you taken to bathing in the blood of the innocent, nosferatu?” John asked.

“Oh, how I’ve missed our interactions,” Scorpius shook his head slightly. There were times he missed the hunt, missed the zeal in which he searched for Crichton and a way to claim the wormhole technology he had sought for most of his life. It was natural for anyone with a lifelong obsession, but Scorpius prided himself on being a man of resounding inner strength and spectacular self-discipline. All of that knowledge paled in comparison to the wellbeing of his child and the safety of his mate. In the end wormhole weapons just weren’t worth it.

“How bout it Bob? You and the wife find the fountain of youth?” John asked, his hand rested against the copped colored slat peering at Scorpius through the space between.

Scorpius sighed, holding out his left hand, palm up, to Sikozu. Behind him he heard her get up, a microt later, her hand rested in his. “Sikozu is my mate, a tighter bond than the title of wife.” He noticed the deceleration in their aging when Rylani had turned eight.

“Because of our mating, our metabolic rate has slowed considerably,” Sikozu spoke. “We will outlive you by countless cycles.” Their bodies produced a similar hormone that allowed Sikozu to carry a child to full term. In the intervening cycles, they had been careful as to only produce one off spring. Rylani was unique, and that put her in danger.

“God help the galaxy,” John muttered. “How is it you, and your merry murderess, get to have a life when D’Argo never made off that water planet?” This time his voice turned to an enraged snarl.

“Crichton…” Sikozu started.

“Do not speak to me!” John snapped, holding up his finger.

Sikozu’s temper rose, “Listen to me. I will take the blame for Ka D’Argo’s death, but none of it falls on Scorpius.” Her mate’s hand touched her lower back, offering her silent comfort and his strength. 

“How noble of you,” John remarked testily. 

“I did not want D’Argo to die, you must believe me,” Sikozu spoke, her voice breaking. “He paid the price for my people wishing to punish me.” It had been cycles since last she thought about the consequences of her people keeping her trapped in a bio-pod. D’Argo dying had been a direct result of that.

John was taken aback by that. “What are you talking about? You were with us the whole time. We never even saw any other Kalish.”

Scorpius chose this moment to take up the telling of this tale seeing Sikozu need a moment to compose herself. “It was before you and Officer Sun were returned to the land of the living. I sent Sikozu on a mission to entreat the Kalish Resistance to begin an assault on the Scarran Empire from within their space, but they refused. Instead they held Sikozu captive and sent back a bioloid duplicate in her place.”

“They sent you a copy of a copy?” John asked. His head was starting to pound from this information. For twenty-two cycles he blamed the pair of them for the death of his best friend, when in reality it was main Sikozu’s fault, and that of her people. And it wasn’t even the same Sikozu that stood in front of him. It was a clone. Or something like that. 

“I am not a copy!” Sikozu shouted, heat spreading through her fingers. Her hands balled into fists, the gloves Scorpius designed for her absorbing the specialized radiation so it could be re-absorbed back into her skin. When she got angry, her abilities were harder to control. It was because of the mating, the intense hormones that came with craving her half-Scarran lover all the time. Scorpius reached for her hands, but she stepped back out of his reach. “It’s not safe yet. My hands are saturated with radiation.”

Scorpius nodded, backing away from her in return. To John, he said, “Sikozu was engineered, as you well remember. She was made in a genetics lab by a truly sadistic scientist.” He scowled at John to forestall any acerbic comment the human could make that would compare him to a woman like Keerza Kershayn. “The Resistance was displeased with Sikozu’s attachment to me, and her willingness to choose my side over her people. So, they kept her contained in a bio-pod and sent back the bioloid that was the cause of Ka D’Argo’s death.”

“Yeah, well, whatever…” John rolled his eyes. “It’s still her fault.” He wasn’t ready to forgive Sikozu, or feel guilty that she’d been made a prisoner.

“Then blame me if you must,” Sikozu said with no trace of malice of irritation in her voice. “But do not let that ill will transfer over to Rylani. She has done nothing to earn your disdain.”

 

TO BE CONTINUED:


	4. Chapter 4

HYBRIDS:  
PART II

 

Outside Pilot’s den, and a little bit away from the door, Deke sat on the floor with Rylani beside him, stretched out on her side, and her head rested in his lap using his jacket that he folded into a pillow for her. “We don’t have to sit here, you know. I can give you a tour of Moya to keep you from obsessing over what Pilot will say.”

Rylani turned her head into the jacket, muffling her chuckle. Obsession. That word perfectly summed up how her and her father could be. Sitting up, she nodded, “I do not want to be far away when he makes his choice.” Resuming her previous position, she placed her head in his lap again, liking the way this felt. It was something so normal for two people who didn’t know what normal could be. “It does not mean that we cannot talk while we wait.”

Deke rested his hand on her shoulder, and then moved it up to stroke her hair. “Do you have any happy memories from when you were a child?” He saw how she interacted with her parents, they were reserved, but couldn’t conceal the deep emotional bond they had as a family. Deke wanted to know what Rylani and her family were like when they were alone.

Rylani nodded, “I have many happy memories, which you may find odd seeing as I am Peacekeeper. Soldiers are not known to have been raised in a family.” Even though she had slogged through the blood and carnage as any other soldier, risen through the ranks on her own merit, she knew she was still an outsider. Rylani had been raised as a daughter, not completely thrust into the hard life of a cadet. She got to know her parents and she wasn’t just a means to fill the ranks. 

“Tell me a memory,” Deke urged gently. “Unless you want me to go first,” he offered, setting his hand on her waist again. There were many happy remembrances he could relate to her. His father made sure there were mood good things to happen aboard Moya to outweigh the bad that usually happened. 

“No,” Rylani shook her head. “I was four, maybe five, cycles old the first time I could remember my mother and I spent a standard week away from my father. He wasn’t that far away, but we felt his absence. At the time we were living at the Gammak Base, with a Command Carrier in orbit,” she rambled without meaning to. “One night, I wasn’t sleeping, and I wanted to be with my mother. Getting out of bed, I went to her, and found she was awake studying various reports I stood there for a few minutes watching her until she noticed me. All she had to do was hold her arms out, as quick as I could I ran to her. She and I curled up together while she told me about her travels when she was younger. The next thing I knew, I was waking up, and my father was there. He was watching us with a small smile, and love in his eyes.” That night she didn’t know what had possessed her, but Rylani had crawled out of her mother’s arms, and gone to him, holding her arms up. Her father picked her up, carrying her over to his work station where they worked on statistical probabilities. “I’m more like my father, in that I don’t have to sleep much. So, we worked through various mathematical problems until the new shift cycle started.” 

Deke chuckled, “You did math all night with your dad?” Somehow, that wasn’t a surprise to him. From all he knew of Scorpius, the hybrid was a genius. It would make sense that Rylani was the same.

“Yes,” Rylani nodded, adding her own little chuckle. “And then he taught a game called ‘Chess’.” When she was learning, she asked where he learned to play. He replied, while keeping his attention on the board, was that he learned the game from memories he obtained from Crichton. 

“You play chess?” Deke asked. Perhaps, if time permitted they would get a game going. He was very interested in seeing why type of player she would be. His dad would have him play a game, or two, and in the end Deke would get frustrated with the game. He wasn’t a really good player, but he still tried to learn how to improve his game.

“Not anymore,” Rylani replied. “I do not enjoy it as much as my parents do.” She would sit and watch them play, it wasn’t so much the game they engaged in, but the battle of the mind they waged with each other. Rylani found it fascinating to watch them try to out think the other. 

‘Wow, she’s amazing in every sense of the word,’ Deke thought, he leaned his head back touching the bulkhead. He could talk with her for arns and not be bored. She had this life that vastly differed from the one he led, and he was completely taken with it. He couldn’t imagine how she forged ahead whilst being in the thick of Peacekeeper revulsion. Hybrids were never tolerated amongst pure blooded races. 

Rylani heard the thought Deke projected, and before she could keep her mouth shut, she responded, “I like that you think I’m amazing.”

Deke looked down at her, “How did you…?” She reacted to what he was thinking about her. “Did I…?”

Rylani sat up once again, crossing her legs, “No, you did not say anything. You were projecting that thought rather loudly.” At his confused expression she elaborated. “There are some Scarran’s within the ruling order with the ability to read the thoughts of others.”

“How’d you end up with that nifty little trick?” Deke brushed a stray lock of snow white hair out of her face, tucking it behind her left ear. 

“Every Scarran, whether pure blood or half-breed, carries the telepathic gene. It just takes the right combination of DNA to activate it.” Rylani angled her head to the left. “I was not always in control of it, and it brought me my fair share of trouble.” The only person she could have been around safely was her father; his immunity afforded her peace and quiet. 

“What happened?” Deke inquired, taking her hand in between his. He couldn’t imagine what it was like trying to filter out all the stray thoughts of others. It had to have been ten kinds of mental torture for her as a youth.

“I had just turned twelve when my father had us moving to the Command Carrier so they could run tests on new weaponry. While they were engrossed in reports and field tests, I was put into barracks with the other cadets. Most of them left me alone, but there was one, Ceta, he took an instant dislike to me.” Rylani took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “It was during hand to hand combat training; we were learning to fight in an arid climate. Ceta was projecting his hate for me so loudly that I could not keep my temper in check. I attacked him.”

“Oh…” Deke lifted her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “Baby, I can’t imagine what that fekkik thought of you.” He knew the disdain Sebacean’s had for other races. Deke had encountered it. A half Human, half Sebacean with a Luxan name. 

“He was 17 cycles old, and already creative in his vile insults,” Rylani sneered. “I broke three of his ribs, fractured his right orbital bone, punctured his paraphoral nerve, and knocked out several of his teeth.” In the moment of her victory, she looked up, scanning the faces of the crowd where she found her father. That single microt of distraction had given Ceta all he needed to break her leg in two places. “I beat him worse than I should have.”

“Baby, he insulted you,” Deke reminded. “Thoughts or not. He did it with intention of provoking you.” She looked grinned when he called her ‘baby’. It was a term of endearment he’d heard his dad use many times in regards to his mom.

“But that was no excuse,” Rylani sighed. “I should have been stronger, guarding against hate and other natural revulsion because I am a hybrid. For that reason alone, I have to be better than the others. In control, and yet, brutal when I have to be.” On a good day, she could ignore the fact that all pure blood Peacekeeper officers thought she was lesser than what she was.

“Remind me never to get into an actual fight with you,” Deke joked lightly. “You’ll kick my eema up one side of this ship, and down the other.” When she didn’t rise to the joke, he cupped her cheek, “What happened after you fought?”

“I let myself get distracted,” Rylani nodded. “My father saw it all, and because I saw his face in the crowd, it was all the time Ceta needed to break my leg.” The angry pure blood had been more resilient than she originally thought. 

“Which leg?” Deke asked. Rylani patted her left, leaving him to take her ankle, and pull it over his lap. He massaged her calf muscle saying, “That had to be so painful.” Being the rough and tumble hybrid he was, he was no stranger to wounds, but never had he had a broken limb. Stabbed; yes. Shot; a couple of times. He’d even had a concussion a time or two, but nothing broken. 

“It was more pain than I had ever experienced up to that moment in my life,” Rylani confirmed. “I was in medical for a full solar day while the bones knitted together, and my father never left my side. We never spoke, but he stayed with me.” That night she made sure she showed no pain, no weakness that would make him feel disappointment with her. He needed her to be strong, to live up to her name, and her genetic heritage. She was the daughter of Scorpius, after all. 

“Hey,” Deke said, “Pilot may be a while making up his mind. I’ll make you something to eat.” Getting up, he offered his hand to her. He wiggled his fingers, willing her to let him take care of her for a few arns. She nodded, reaching up to grip his wrist. Deke pulled her to him, holding her against his chest, bringing his hand up to cup her right cheek. 

 

ONE ARN LATER:

 

Rylani sat opposite Deke, finishing off the last of her meal that he took the time to prepare for her. Crispy grollak and fried sork wings. She found herself licking her lips, and her fingers. “This was delicious. Thank you,” Rylani smiled, picking up the goblet of Raz’lak. It had been a long time since she had a freshly prepared meal that didn’t start out as a food cube. “Where did you learn to cook like this?” she asked, getting up to clear the table. 

“Chiana taught me,” Deke answered. “When the mood struck her, she would cook everyone’s favorite meal.” Sadness took him then, “At least she used to. D’Argo’s death hit her pretty hard. That fun loving, precocious, burglar lost her light. Her good days were few and far between.” Most nights, when he had been little, he would go and sit with her while she cried. Deke had only been a little boy and he hadn’t understood why she was so sad. All he knew was that she was in pain, and he wanted to make her feel better. 

Rylani stopped what she was doing, she left the plates where they were, and went to sit next to hm. In a show of kindness, what she rarely allowed anyone to see, she wrapped arms around him so she could hold him close. She felt like she should say something, but she didn’t know what. So, she said nothing. Rylani just held him, rocking back and forth gently. She didn’t know how to react when someone was suffering emotionally. Physically, it could be fixed. Emotional wounds were something else 

Deke only let himself be comforted by Rylani for so long. Chiana’s absence had been felt so keenly by all, and it was a wound that wasn’t going to heal anytime soon. Pulling back, he gave her a sad smile. “How are you at dancing?” Deke asked as he got up.

“Dancing?” Rylani arched her right brow. That was a drastic change from his emotional state microts ago. 

“Yeah,” Deke took her hand, pulling her along with him. They left the center chamber to head to the terrace. He left her by the open door, to go and set up music.

Rylani stayed where she was, watching Feke fish out a small piece of technology from the inside of his pocket. Microts of silence were suddenly broken by strange music. She was drawn to his side, her eyes going to the screen of the little rectangle. “What is this?”

“Music by Lindsay Sterling, the song is called Elements,” Deke answered. “She’s a violinist from Earth; my father’s home world.” He stepped away from the console to stand in front of her. “Dance with me.” Right now, all he wanted to do was move and not think about anything. 

Rylani let him see the unease in her eyes. She’d never done anything like that before. She’d never been in this situation before. Everything in her was telling her to put distance between them, to maintain space, but she couldn’t. Not when he was looking at her like she was the only thing he wanted to hold. “Show me how.” 

“Ok,” Deke took her hand in his. “Put you left hand on my shoulder, and then stand on my feet.” 

Rylani looked down, “You want me to stand on your feet? Really?” The idea seemed so absurd to her, but the look on his face told her he was serious.

“Best way to show you how,” Deke nodded and then was confused when she pulled away from him. She toed off her boots before doing as he advised. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I did not want to hurt you,” Rylani whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder, and then standing on his feet. She felt odd, her arm slid across his strong shoulders. He in turn wrapped his arm around her waist and took her hand once more. 

“You comfortable?” Deke waited till the song was over, and a new one started before he would move. He could see he was putting her out of her element, and he wanted just that. Having her unbalanced was the best way to get her to open up to him.

“Yes,” Rylani bit her bottom lip, her toes digging into the leather of his boots. Then the song changed and he took that first step. Her hold tightened on him, unprepared for it all. Deke moved them in small circles, not really in time with the music. Rylani was mesmerized by him, by the music that was playing. “Have you ever been to Earth?” she asked quietly. Somehow she was afraid to speak too loud lest she break the spell of the moment.

“A hand full of times,” Deke responded just as quietly. He curled his fingers into her side so he could make sure she stayed firmly against him. Her nails dug into his shoulder telling him she was still a little tense about all of this. It was a loss of control for her. She had to trust his movements. The song Crystalize, one of his favorites, floated on the air around them. It was blocking out everything else that wasn’t Rylani. She was all he could focus on, all he wanted to focus on. 

“What is it like?” Rylani touched her forehead to his, and closed her eyes. She concentrated on the way his feet moved, on the way his fingers tapped out the rhythm of the song that was now playing. It almost tickled. She liked the way his finger tapped on her side. 

“Small…” Deke sighed. “A little backwards, and the people are more interested in fighting each other.” The times he had been there, they had to keep to the house his grandfather lived in. Few people could know they were there, or his father feared they wouldn’t allow them to leave. 

“Oh,” Rylani mouthed, she couldn’t imagine what that was like. Even though she lived on a planet, secure within a Gammak Base, she had the freedom to leave. Her mother had told her about Earth, about how limited the humans were. She wanted nothing else to do with them, and when she had the chance, she left.

Just inside, Aeryn watched as history was repeating. D’Argo was dancing with the young Shanu in the same way John had danced with her in the elevator on Katratzi. The mother in her wanted to warn her boy away from collaborating with a dangerous Peacekeeper, but the woman in her felt she had to give the young girl a chance. At one time, Aeryn had been one of the Peacekeepers who hated all other species. And then she met John Crichton and was deemed irreversibly contaminated. Her life had been tough, but it ended up for the better. She had a husband she adored, and family she would kill for. 

John came up behind his wife, his arms slipping around her, and his eyes were fixed on their son. “This is not gonna end well,” he muttered close to her ear. From his own experience, he knew that pain and anguish waited for his boy the moment this mission was over, and that Captain left him behind. 

“What do you want him to do, John? Ignore her?” Aeryn asked him. “She’s his age, and she’s new to him. That makes her exciting to Deke.” When all was said and done, D’Argo liked a challenge, just like his father. “He’s just like you,” she said allowed.

“Yeah, except he doesn’t know danger when he sees it.” John replied. “That girl… She’s the definition of it.”

“Your paranoia is talking again,” Aeryn stated. Scorpius always brought out that side of John.

“Yeah, I know. I’m trying not to let it get to me,” John kissed Aeryn’s cheek. “I let Scorpius and Sikozu out of the cell, put them in her former quarters down on tier eight, treblin side.” Aeryn didn’t respond, she only nodded, and continued to watch their son.

 

TEIR EIGHT:

 

Sikozu sat on the bed in her former quarters, a few of her possessions right where she left them. “It is so strange being back here.” A flash of orange caught her attention. Getting up, she went to the small alcove where she found the clothes she used to wear. The orange vest, the matching top, leggings, boots, and skirt. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she ever wore anything like that. She reached out to touched the leather, remembering how good it felt against her skin. That version of her no longer existed.

“At least I’m not confined to a cell this time,” Scorpius mused standing next to Sikozu, his right hand cupping the back of her head. He much preferred the copper walls of Sikozu’s old quarters than those of his dark cell. When they had previously resided aboard Moya, he’d only been in her quarters twice before John sent them over to Braca on the Command Carrier. The bed behind them had served them well after they returned from Katratzi. 

“Crichton has no reason to keep us in there,” Sikozu faced her imposing half-Scarran mate. “He finally realized that we are not here for him.” She saw a strange expression cross his face. “What?”

“His mistrust of us, it may directly affect how he perceives Rylani,” Scorpius said. “You know what he’s like when he feels as if he’s being manipulated. Imagine how he’ll be if he feels our daughter is trying to maneuver his son.” He wasn’t blind, he saw the way Rylani looked at D’Argo. She was intrigued by the young man, having never seen anyone like him. That kind of fascination could be dangerous. 

“Not even Crichton is that paranoid….” Sikozu shook her head. Scorpius only looked at her. “Alright, maybe he is.” She brought her hands up, unfastening the front closure of her vest. Slipping it off, she tossed it over on the bed. “Then, what are we going to do?”

“Nothing,” Scorpius answered. “Rylani has to learn on her own just how damaging Crichton’s infantile obsession with betrayal can be. She has to learn how to navigate around his paranoia.” As much as he hated it, he couldn’t interfere with her, and how she was handling this mission. He, and Sikozu, were here to watch out for their child. 

“And her growing infatuation with the young Crichton?” Sikozu didn’t want her child falling for someone she could not hope to be with. If her history with Scorpius was anything to go by, Rylani would be suffering from a broken heart by the end of this mission.

“Another lesson she’ll have to learn,” Scorpius cupped Sikozu’s face. “If we intervene, she’ll fight us, and she’ll win.” Rylani had learned pretty quickly the most expedient way to get what she wanted from them. Once she mastered the ability, she rarely used it.

“Because you will let her,” Sikozu pointed out playfully. When their daughter fought them, she went to war with the intention of being the victor. Lucky for them, as her parents, that never happened too often. Rylani showed respect and due deference to them, but she could defiant. It was a trait she inherited from Scorpius.

“And so would you,” Scorpius replied, angling his head to kiss her lightly on the lips. He dropped his hands down to wrap his arms around her waist. She draped her arms over his shoulder’s, her hands cupping the back of his head. Right now, all was quiet, and they could indulge in a few basic carnal needs. Scorpius tightened his hold, lifting her up so he could set her on the metal shelf. He growled deepening the kiss.

 

TERRACE:

 

Deke had stopped moving his feet, content to sway with Rylani still in his arms. He’d never met a female like her, someone so strong, and yet at the same time, she had such a gentle spirit. They were born into the middle of a chaotic history, and yet when he was with her, none of that mattered. The loyal son in him knew he should stay away from her. Rylani was a Peacekeeper, and the child of two very manipulative people. That alone should be enough to keep him away from her. When he looked in her eyes, he only saw kindness, and that cut straight to his heart. Was this how his dad felt the more time he spent with his mom?

For some time, Rylani had her eyes closed, trusting Deke with guiding her body. She kept her brow resting against his temple, and her arms were drape over his shoulders while his were wrapped around her waist. They were swaying under the stars with music surrounding them. This was one of the most self-indulgent moments of her life. Before, when she’d used her feminine wiles, it had always been to further her mission, and complete her goals. With Deke, she had no mission that involved him when they met. She started a liaison with him because she wanted to. He was the first male she met that made her feel anything. A good soldier guarded against any emotions. Rylani was finding out quickly she wasn’t such a good soldier in this moment.

“D’Argo?”

Deke stopped moving, freeing his left hand to activate his comms, “Yes, Pilot.” Being in this little musical bubble couldn’t last, but he was happy it lasted as long as it did. Rylani smirked as she stepped off his feet, taking her arms from around his neck. She walked away to get her boots.

“Is the Peacekeeper Captain still with you?”

“She’s close by,” Deke answered, his voice light as he looked at her.

“Will you bring her back down here so that I might speak with her?”

“Sure thing, Pilot,” Deke answered when Rylani nodded. He tapped his comms, deactivating it. To her he asked, “Do you think Pilot will accept, and ferry you into Nebari space?”

“I do not know,” Rylani tugged on her right boot. “Moya is a remarkable ship; I was not lying about that. She has done things no other Leviathan has, survived so much.” When she had been given the dossiers on Crichton and his crew, a profile had also been included pertaining to the infamous ship. Moya had given birth to the first Leviathan/Peacekeeper hybrid ship. And that was just one of many situations the resourceful ship had survived. 

“Then…” Deke walked over to her, and took her hand. “Let’s go find out what his answer is.” He liked walking side by side with her through the halls of the ship that was his home. If he was to strip away the top layer of her Peacekeeper uniform, take down her hair, Rylani looked like she belonged with them. She could easily turn outlaw if the spirit moved her to do so. He liked that about her.

 

PILOT’S DEN:

 

Rylani stood in front of Pilot waiting for him to give her his answer. Around her various DRD’s zipped around preforming their assigned tasks. As much as she may want to know immediately, she had to exercise patience, and wait for Pilot. One of the DRD buzzed passed her, making her jump when it clipped the heels of her boots. She hadn’t been expected it to be that close to her. 

“Are you alright?” Pilot asked when he noticed her sudden movement. 

“Yes,” Rylani nodded. “I am unaccustomed to the DRD’s moving about. We do not have them aboard Command Carriers.” She knew from times spent on Scarran vessels, that they had their own version, but they were mainly used for security purposes. She liked the little yellow bots better. They at least had multiple functions. “It is too bad, though. They are incredibly useful.” 

“Thank you,” Pilot said, not sure why. 

“Pilot, is there something you want to ask me?” Rylani crept closer, leaning on the edge of the console. She could see the apprehension in his eyes. Deception was not a trait his species was known for. 

“Why should Moya and I trust you?” Pilot kept his gaze on her, trying to pick up on any hint of her intentions towards him, Moya, and everyone else aboard. He didn’t want to trust her, because of who she was sired from. Then he was reminded of another Peacekeeper he gave a chance to. Aeryn Sun. She stood where Captain Rylani Rayvin Shanu was now standing. Pilot knew he had another choice to make and it wasn’t about the mission.

Rylani sighed, “Your first inclination is not to trust me on the basis that I am a Peacekeeper. My people have subjugated yours, put Leviathans under the thrall of control collars. I want you to know, I am not like them, and I do not wish to control you or Moya. Time allowing, I hope you will come to see me for who I am, not the uniform, and not my heritage.”

“Moya and I will help you,” Pilot consented. 

 

TO BE CONTINUED:


	5. Chapter 5

HYBRIDS:  
PART II

 

“Welcome to Sai’pran Six,” Rylani said, seeing the bright blue planet relfted on the forward portal. “This is the largest supply planet in the whole of the Peacekeeper empire.” At Crichton’s questioning glance, she elaborated. “It was occupied by our people nearly a hundred cycles ago…”

“That’s a polite way of putting an invasion,” Crichton muttered sarcastically.

“You have never met a Sai’Pran, have you?” Rylani asked the Commander.

“Nope, can’t say I have,” Crichton shrugged, his hands going to his hips. 

“Well, the Sai’Pran’s are a timid race. They would not say ‘Boo’ to a Hynerian. The creatures are cowardly and frightened of anyone taller than them, which is about everyone.” Rylani informed. “When the Peacekeepers came, their intentions were to conquer, but, the Sai’Pran’s gave us their planet and were eager to serve in their own strange way.” Going to the center console, she keyed in a few commands that highlighted sections of the planet below them. “Right here in the main supply depot where I have to go.”

“Oh, no!” Crichton exclaimed. “As opposed as I am to this whole idea, you are not going down there alone. On this ship we utilize the buddy system.”

“I have to go alone,” Rylani shot back. “You, Commander Crichton, are still considered an outlaw, Officer Sun, a traitor. Commander Scorpius would not be caught dead on a planet like this, and thus by extension, his consort, Sikozu. It has to be me, and me alone.”

“Why just you?” Deke asked. A small spark of jealousy lit up inside of him. He wasn’t so keen on letting her go alone either, but they were for different reasons than the ones his father had. 

Rylani sighed, “Because, the Officer in charge of this depot knows me. I can get in and out quietly, with only having to give him a wink and smile.” The supply officer had a little bit of a crush on her, it allowed Rylani to bend him to her will without having to actually fulfill any of his fantasies. 

“Yeah, I’m with my dad on this,” Deke said. “You’re not going alone down there.” She glared at him, but he didn’t let it faze him. 

“I want this done quickly and quietly,” Rylani replied. “So, yes, I am going alone.”

Crichton addressed Scorpius, “Don’t you have a single word in opposition to this?”

“Rylani is a capable soldier, John.” Scorpius stated, his eyes resting on his daughter. “If she has to go alone, then she goes alone.” She was fully capable of doing what had to be done, in any way she saw fit. He never doubted that, even though the paternal side of his was snarling in disgust. 

“And you, Sputnik?” John turned his eyes on Sikozu. He still didn’t trust, but he didn’t hate her any longer. “This can’t sound good to you.”

“It is Rylani’s choice,” Sikozu kept her gaze level with Crichton. 

“Dad, I’ll go,” Deke offered up. His father turned to him, showing in his gaze just how much he hated that idea. “If you’re so worried about her selling us out, might as well send me along so I can give you a heads up.”

“Your overwhelming faith astounds me,” Rylani replied tersely. “Crichton I am not here to sell you out. Personally, I do not care what you and your rag tag team do throughout this galaxy. I, on the other hand, have a mission to complete, and this ship, as well as your resourcefulness are a great asset to me in this moment. I don’t have the patience to indulge your paranoid delusions. Do us all a favor, suck it up.” With that, she left command. Rylani headed to the hangar bay to ready the Marauder for departure. 

Deke fought the instinctual urge he had to go after her. Instead, he went to his mother, “I’ll go with the Captain. Try and keep dad from doing anything stupid.”

“Be careful,” Aeryn told her son. He nodded, and then kissed her on the cheek before following suit, and leaving command.

“Great,” Crichton moved his head from side to side, cracking his neck. “You two could have argued a little more.” He pinned Scorpius with an annoyed glare. “Any parent knows they don’t let their child go off into danger alone.” 

“And what danger do you believe she could possibly face down there?” Scorpius asked, a small hiss following his question. “My child is capable of protecting herself, of doing what has to be done just as she was trained.”

“They’re Peacekeepers,” John seethed. “Last time I looked they weren’t too fond of mixing races.” It wasn’t just Rylani he was talking about. It was D’Argo as well. 

 

HANGAR BAY:

 

Rylani was aboard the Marauder when she heard heavy footfalls coming up the extended steps. They didn’t belong to Deke. Crichton was on command still. “Ka Jothee,” she said without turning to look at him. “Is there something I can do for you?” Was he here to lob insults at her? Maybe he wanted to blame her for the part her mother played, inadvertently, in the demise of his father.

Jothee, Stark, and surprisingly enough, Noranti were all keeping their distance from Aeryn, Crichton, Scorpius, and Sikozu. Too much history linked the four of them that it tended to have tempers rising, and exploding. Jothee had his own intense feelings about having Scorpius aboard Moya. At one time, he’d been used as a bargaining tool, leverage against his father and Crichton. Even though Crichton had traded places with him, he still resented the human from time to time. Those moments were few and far between. Jothee saw in John Crichton what his father saw; an honorable man, and a great friend. “I came to see if you needed help,” he answered.

“I’m fine,” Rylani answered, careful to keep the bite out of her voice. She expanded her senses, trying to determine just what he was doing. She didn’t sense any malice or ill will in regards to her. Then, she stopped what she was doing, and turned to him. “Thank you for offering.”

“Yeah,” Jothee nodded. He whistled halfheartedly. Looking at her, it was hard not to be suspicious of her motives. She was a mixture of two people who had done more to betray this crew than any other being in the galaxy. 

“Is there something you want to ask me, Ka Jothee?” Rylani stood up, her arms crossing over her chest.

“How can you be on Moya knowing what pain your parents bring with them?” Jothee asked.

“Ah,” Rylani nodded slowly. “And there it is. Yet another member of this crew blaming me for events I had no part in.” She wanted to be surprised, but with this rag tag band of intergalactic misfits, it was to be expected. 

“Your mother is the reason my father is dead,” Jothee accused. 

“Then you take it up with her,” Rylani snarled. She could tell him that it hadn’t been Sikozu Shanu during the war, that it had been a bio-loid spy, but it wouldn’t have made a difference. Not to the orphaned Luxan.

Deke arrived in time to hear Jothee issue a Luxan hiss. “Jothee! Don’t do this…” He rushed in, putting himself between a man he saw as an uncle, and Rylani. “Come on, she’s not to blame here.”

“Doesn’t matter, Deke,” Jothee sneered. “She’ll bring death here, just like they did.” With that said, he turned and left so he could get his anger under control.

Deke waited until the sound of Jothee’s footfalls had tapered off. “I’m sorry about him,” he said over his shoulder.

“I am not surprised,” Rylani gingerly sat down on the edge of the console. “Your crew find it hard to look at me. They see my parents; two of the most despised beings to have ever been on this ship.” She shook her head, “That mistrust, that hate, has translated over to me. I see it. I feel it….”

“I don’t hate you,” Deke turned to her, giving her a small smirk. He reached out to cup her face, his left thumb tracing her bottom black lip. There was so much resentment built up, directed right at Scorpius and Sikozu that it was also being aimed at Rylani. She hadn’t done one thing to harm any of them. He wished he told his parents that she saved his life on Nor’Takan three. 

 

COMMAND:

Sikozu had stayed on command, giving Scorpius the space he needed to calm down, to get his Scarran rage under control. John stormed off with Aeryn following. She tuned out the sound of them arguing, in favor of sitting on the edge of the forward portal so she could gaze out at the stars. Sikozu knew what it meant for her to come back here, to face them all again. It was going to hurt, and it was going to make her feel guilty. Her people detaining her all those cycles ago had the unintended consequence of costing Ka D’Argo his life. She felt the weight of his loss, as much as she tried not to. Logically, she told herself, she wasn’t responsible for it, but that only went so far. And today, it meant nothing. 

Aeryn left John in their quarters, preferring to return to command where she found Sikozu. The Kalish was curled up in the curve of the forward portal, her eyes turned towards the stars, and the planet Moya was orbiting. “I thought you’d be off with Scorpius,” Aeryn called out, coming closer.

“It’s best if I remain here,” Sikozu glanced at Aeryn. She could count on one hand the times she had to leave Scorpius along to regain control over his anger. She hated it, but it was what he needed, and she would give him that. 

“Afraid he’ll hurt you?” Aeryn took a seat next to Sikozu’s feet. She’d seen what could happen when Scorpius was enraged. 

“No,” Sikozu shook her head. “I’m never afraid of him, nor of him hurting me.” She had seen him at his worst, aboard Moya, and still it wasn’t enough to scare her away. 

“Has he hurt you before?” Aeryn inquired. During that half cycle when Scorpius had been with them, she’d seen the way Sikozu looked at the half-Scarran, heard the way she said his name. 

“No,” Sikozu scoffed lightly, “he has not. At least, not in the way you mean.” During their twenty-two cycles together there had been times when Sikozu had sported bruises, scratches, along with various aches and pains. Most of it had been gained through mating, and the rest Sikozu had to learn the limits of control during arguments. 

“That’s not love, Sikozu,” Aeryn said softly. If she lived well beyond one hundred cycles she would never understand the connection between Sikozu and Scorpius. 

Sikozu gave Aeryn the full weight of her gaze, “That’s not your love, Aeryn. Your partnership with Crichton is gentle and passionate, and both your needs are met through this. I enjoy being dominated by Scorpius. Through his need to control, my dark desires are satisfied.” Her bond with Scorpius grew stronger day by day until nothing was able to break them apart. “It is as you said, we were just meant to be together.”

Aeryn furrowed her brow. She had said those words, but according to John, she’d said them to the duplicate of Sikozu. “How could you know that’s what I said?”

“Simple,” Sikozu turned from the sight of the planet, leveling her gaze with Officer Sun. “My people wished to punish me in the most sadistic way possible without leaving a mark on me physically. I was connected to my bio-loid via subspace comms. Everything that duplicate did with Scorpius, everything she said to him, I heard.” She could leave it there, but she didn’t. “Not a day goes by that I do not think about all the damage my duplicate caused.” 

Aeryn rested her hands on her knees, “We’ve all been there, at one point or another.” John had his mind taken over by the neural clone, and he’d killed her. It hadn’t been John, she knew that. She had been taken by the Scarrans, and a duplicate had been sent back to Moya. Aeryn knew the shame Sikozu was feeling. “Did Scorpius know that it wasn’t you?”

“He knew,” Sikozu answered. 

“But how?” Aeryn wanted to understand. If she was to forgive Sikozu, she needed to fully understand all that happened back then leading up to D’Argo’s death. 

“I spent twenty solar days with him aboard that Command Carrier. Morning, noon, and night I was never far from his side. All that time together, you get to know someone, and Scorpius knew me as well as I knew him. He could tell me apart from my duplicate just by the way he looked at her; the energy was different.” Sikozu answered, hoping it helped. “He could not do anything with tensions on the rise between the Scarrans and the Peacekeeprs. The Kalish Underground would have moved me to a secure location, and that would have taken more time than Scorpius could have afforded to look for me. He chose to leave me with them, and use my duplicate to his advantage.”

 

SAI’PRAN SIX:

 

Rylani landed the Marauder just over a metra away from the supply depot’s main gates. She tossed a red scuffed, and faded leather jacket to Deke. “Put this on, and follow my lead. You’re Lieutenant Talvin, and we are from U-Star Regiment here on special assignment. If someone tries to ask you the nature of our mission, tell them it is classified under Priority Velka Nine and they do not have clearance to know what we are doing.”

“Oooh!” Deke shed his black vest so that he could put on the red jacket. “Role playing, this sounds like fun,” he laughed clicking the bottom three clasps together. “Should I look mean?”

“Will you take this seriously?” Rylani snapped in a clipped commanding tone.

“Sorry…” Deke inclined his head. 

“Do not be sorry,” Rylani shook her head. “Do better.” She walked passed him putting her long coat on, making sure her ident chip was visible. Her boots touched the ground with Deke taking stride right beside her. She had to stop, “No, no, no, no…”

“What? I’m only walking,” Deke was confused. Up until now, he’d only seen the woman behind the uniform. This was the fierce Captain, and he’d better do what she said.

“A Lieutenant walks to my left, and slightly behind,” Rylani informed. She was trying not to be frustrated with his, given his severe lack of military discipline. It was one of the things she found him most attractive about him. And yet, he had to adopt the stance, the attitude, the distance because he wanted to watch her back. 

“Hey, it’ll be ok,” Deke didn’t dare reach out to her. Out in the open where anyone could see her, it would make her look weak. He knew that, and he resisted. 

“Back straight, eyes front, hands at your side,” Rylani advised, her voice gentler this time. “And you can look mean… if you want,” she added. Turning around, she squared her shoulders, and made her face an inscrutable mask of military calm. She exuded power and dominance; everything a Peacekeeper Captain was. Together, they walked to the large doors where an ident chip scanner protruded from the wall. Rylani removed hers, inserted it, and waited for her identity to be verified. 

As much as he may have wanted to look around, Deke made sure to do as he was told. He kept his eyes forward until they were granted entry into the supply depot. For a few microts he thought they weren’t going to be allowed in, but he was proven wrong when giant locks disengaged, and the door loudly creaked open. “What did we come here for?”

“Tannot root,” Rylani answered heading inside. When the root was mixed with certain chemicals it produced Chakan Oil that fueled most weapons in the galaxy. If it was mixed another way, it became a powerful hallucinogen for living ships.

“That ugly looking plant that makes people annoyingly happy?” Deke hissed his question. His dad had told him about it once, and the planet Sykar. Everyone there had been addicted to the root while being used as slave labor where they were lied to on a day to day basis. 

“Yes,” Rylani lightly elbowed him in the stomach to get him to back up a few paces. “This is one of the depots that houses the Tannot before it’s sent to a processing facility.” If all went the way she wanted, then she would have a two cases of the root she could use to make what she needed for Moya during the last leg of their journey.

Inside the supply depot, El-Yan Grayza sat at her desk going through the multitude of files left behind by the previous Officer in charge. She shook her head in disgust. That poor excuse for a Sebacean had no business in this position. He couldn’t file his reports, supplies were missing, or not properly accounted for. She inherited a mess. Behind her the console chirped, signaling a high ranking Peacekeeper had just entered her base. El-Yan was grateful for that. If anything, it ensured she would spend some time away from the mess. Grabbing her jacket, she made her way out of the office to greet her guest. 

Rylani had drawn in a deep breath, her mind separating all the new scents since last she’d been here, and one stuck out. It had her eyes rolling, and her lip curling in annoyance. So much for in and out. Unwanted, a growl rumbled in her chest, gaining the gaze of Deke. She shook her head hoping to forestall any of his questions. 

El-Yan saw the woman she thought she’d never see again; Rylani Rayvin Shanu, the Scarran/Sebacean/Kalish hybrid. She felt her jaw drop slightly, shock racing through her. The imposing, battle hardened woman still looked so beautiful. “This is the last place I thought to ever see you,” El-Yan called out, not sure what emotion her voice conveyed. She wasn’t happy to see her. She wasn’t entirely angry either. 

“I came for a few supplies,” Rylani answered. She motioned for Deke to remain where he was. “You are not the Peacekeeper I am accustomed to dealing with.” Trais, the older Officer was in command here, and easy to manipulate. Where was he?

“The last man in charge here met with an untimely end,” El-Yan answered. “Poison,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “Now, I’m the one you’ll be dealing with.” Her eyes tracked over to the male, standing just as tall as Rylani, and looking twice as mean. No doubt he was one of the unkempt, rough around the edges Black Ghost’s she traveled with. 

Rylani sighed, pulling out supply orders for the Tannot root from inside her jacket. “You will find everything is in order.” She handed over the request without another word. 

“This doesn’t say why you need the two crates,” El-Yan scanned over the orders, noticing the authorization came from Commandant Meeklo Braca. That alone told her she shouldn’t be asking questions. 

“I am on assignment with U-Star Regiment, and our mission is classified,” Rylani barely kept the snarl out of her voice. Peacekeepers, those of high rank, detested being questioned. “Now, Officer, fulfill the requisition, and I will be on my way.” 

El-Yan straightened her back in response to the command in Rylani’s tone, “Yes, sir!” She snapped a salute. When all was said and done, Rylani outranked her, and she had to follow her orders. “It will take an arn to get the two crates liberated for you and have them delivered to your Marauder.”

“Then you best not waste any more of my time,” Rylani arched her brow. El-Yan nodded sharply, and then turned to leave them. Inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

Deke leaned in close to her, “She doesn’t seem to like you.”

“We used to recreate together,” Rylani replied. “I haven’t seen her for more than two cycles.” She saw a spark light his eyes at her words. “Every male’s first favorite fantasy,” she shook her head, a chuckle coloring her words.

“Well…” Deke scoffed. “I mean, you say something like that, a man’s mind is going to…” he let his sentence drop off.

“Males…” Rylani joked, “Sebacean, Luxan… you’re all the same.”

“That’s not…” Deke started to deny it, but then images of the black haired Sebacean woman and Rylani were fliting through his brain so fast. “Ok, no, it’s true.” 

“Relax,” Rylani assured, “I much prefer the company of males.” She wasn’t sure what had compelled her to take El-Yan, use her for a momentary distraction. There was nothing truly remarkable, except the history and intrigue that had propelled her mother, Mele-On Grayza.

“Whatever strikes your fancy, I guess,” Deke knocked his shoulder into hers lightly, hoping to get a smile from her.

“She was a distraction,” Rylani shrugged, “and not a very lasting one, at that.”

 

TO BE CONTINUED:


	6. Chapter 6

HYBRIDS:  
PART II

SCORPIUS/SIKOZU:

Back on board Moya, Scorpius found Sikozu on command, sitting alone by the forward portal. Outwardly, she appeared calm, unfazed by his temper. Scorpius knew her, knew she hated to be separated from his side even as he sought to regain his control alone. There had been times during the last twenty-two cycles where he had nearly caused her harm. His Scarran rage had been hard to control due to the mating. It was the chemical imbalance he and Sikozu suffered from. Hormones were horrid things most of the time. Going to her, he rested his hand on the back of her head, his fingers curling into the braid. “Am I forgiven yet?” he asked moving her head, resting it against his thigh.

“To be forgiven, I would have to have been angry at you,” Sikozu replied lightly, slipping her right arm between his legs, and wrapped around his left thigh. She wasn’t angry, she was hurt, and she knew she shouldn’t be. The last time his Scarran anger had gotten the better of his Sebacean control, he’d grabbed her forearms, fracturing the bones. She knew she risked injury every time she stood between his anger and someone else. Sikozu turned her face so she could sink her teeth into his thigh. That earned her a very satisfied growl from Scorpius. His fingers curled into the braid, pulling her up against him. Sikozu, as always, went willingly.

Scorpius freed his hand so that he could grip the back of her thighs, picking her up. He carried her over to the oblong table where he set her down roughly, in the way he knew that thrilled her most. Standing between her parted knees, Scorpius opened the vest she wore exposing her beautiful pale orange tinged skin, and her abdominal tattoos. He leaned over her, sinking his teeth into the flesh of her stomach, pulling up slightly as if he was going to take a chunk right out of her. 

Sikozu gasped, moaning as she arched her back into his bite. There was added thrill racing through her as they were on command. The chance someone could walk in on them only added to her exhilaration. She reached down, gripping his jaw. He let go of her as she sat up, but he didn’t let her remain up for long. Scorpius closed his hand over her throat, pushing her back down to the surface of the table; a dark desire laced growl filled the silence. Sikozu tightened her knees on his hips, gasping, “Yes!”

Scorpius loosened his hold, leaving his index finger against her neck. He drew the digit down, pressing in slightly so she could feel the prick of his nail through the glove. Her body shuddered from his touch. Leaning over her, he gave her one long lick from navel up to the first tattoo. She moaned, placing her hands on the back of his head. With a growl, he took her wrists, pinning them to the table. Her eyes, unfocused, sparked with desire. He kissed her, pumping his tongue into her mouth. Scorpius knew how to dominate her senses. 

Beneath him, Sikozu pretended to fight against his hold. She knew how to excite him as much as he was exciting her. He yanked her up, playfully violent, turned her, and pushed her back down to the table face down. She planted her hands on the surface, pushing herself up until her back touched his chest. “You have not conquered me in this way for quite some time,” she laughed wickedly. She then bent at the waist waiting for whatever he was going to do.

Scorpius untied the leather laces holding her small top against her body. He pushed the straps off her slender shoulders. Reaching around, he cupped her breasts, and nipped her ear. “You make me insatiable…” his left hand slid down between her thighs, the heat of her center bleeding through his glove. Beneath him, she gasped, her back arching. He continued to tease her, applying the right amount of pressure that would stoke her desire higher.

Sikozu followed suit, her hand resting atop the one he had between her legs. She loved to feel him there, feel the way he drove her out of her mind. “Oh, yes…” His finger moved back and forth, spending pulse after pulse of ecstasy through her. Automatically her thighs closed over their hands, holding him. 

Scorpius sank his teeth into the back of her neck, his body screaming to be locked inside her. He needed the warmth of her, the feeling of her clamping down on him. This thing between them, the mating, at times he thought he would be driven mad with need. While they had the time, he was going to make sure his desire was sated, and she was brought to the brink screaming his name.

 

MARAUDER:

 

Deke popped the top on the crate he was standing next to. Inside, he expected to find a weird root, as his dad described it, looking like an oversized acorn. What he saw was something else. “Are you sure this was what you wanted?” Deke was looking at a crate of mulch. He had to admit that chemistry wasn’t one of his strong suits. Deke was more like his mother, in that he was more of a fighter. Sometimes, he didn’t have the patience to think through a problem.

Rylani looked over her shoulder at him, “Yes. It’s in the middle of being made in Chakan Oil. We want it at this stage in processing. It will be easier for the DRD’s to refine it and make it into an aerosol that will help Moya when we reach the dead zone.” She set the controls for an auto landing, and then vacated the pilot’s seat. 

“How certain are you this this is going to work?” Deke asked. He knew she was smart, beyond brilliant really, and that made him a little wary. It had nothing to do with his lack of trust in her, it was just experience. Well thought out plans had a way of back firing. 

“Very,” Rylani answered, putting the lid back on the crate. “It’s been tested on other Leviathans, but due to the control collar, the results weren’t always accurate.” From inside her pocket, she pulled out a data crystal. “This has all the information the DRD’s will need to make the gas.”

“Let’s just hope we have luck on our side,” Deke muttered, as he locked the other side of the crate. Microts later, the Marauder docked, and Moya started to re-pressurize the cargo bay. Time had taught him how long to wait before he went to the hat controls. Hitting the button, he lowered the ramp hearing the trilling of the DRD’s. “Let’s get these unloaded, and maybe later you can tell me more about you and that lady Peacekeeper.”

Rylani shook her head knowing that Deke couldn’t see her. She took this moment to be playful. No one was around, except the little yellow drones. “You would love to hear all about how I lavished attention on her,” she reached out, her hand stroking down his leather covered back.

Deke turned, taking her hand to place on his chest, “Tell me every dirty little detail.” He liked the dark look in her eyes. The glowing blue sparked with the attraction between them. Rylani was truly unlike any other woman in this universe. Not even the female on Earth held his attention quite in the same way. She was pure excitement mixed with danger, and intrigue. Then again, he would expect no less from the progeny of Scorpius; the Devil.

“Or, would you like me to show you?” Rylani purred. Her hands trailed down his hard abdomen, to the buckle of his belt. Deke was a distraction to her, she knew it, and yet she kept courting it. She’d never felt like this, not with any male. She didn’t have the words to describe what she was feeling. All she knew was she wanted to keep feeling it. 

“Depends on what you want to show me,” Deke wagged his brows suggestively. 

“All manner of pleasing things,” Rylani purred, closing the distance between them.

Deke swooped in, taking her lips in an ardent kiss, backing her up against the tall black crate. Blindly, he searched for the hatch controls again, this time to close it. There was no need for anyone to see them. She turned the tables on him, shoving him into the crates. A growl that came from Rylani echoed all around them, bouncing off the metal bulkheads. She knelt down in front of him, her hands going to his belt. Deke looked down at her, amazed; his heart beating faster. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to,” Rylani pulled down the zipper, parting the leather. She tugged down the edges until his hard male organ sprang free. “Lean your head back and enjoy…”

Deke moaned, his blood pumping faster through his body. Her mouth felt unbelievably good, and oh so hot on his cold Sebacean skin. “Sweet gods of all creation!” He curled his fingers in her hair, holding on while the rest of his senses became lost to her.

 

CRICHTON’S QUARTERS:

 

John lay gasping next to his wife, feeling sated, feeling stable once again. He hated that he could get so out of whack just because Scorpius and Sikozu were on board. Twenty-two cycles had passed by peacefully. There was no sense for him to throw it all away, to indulge his paranoia. As much as he hated it, the girl, their kid, was right. They’d done nothing to indicate they were after wormhole technology. “What do you make of Rylani?”

“What?” Aeryn rolled to her side, gazing at John. “Where did that come from?” She knew his mind had been somewhere else while she had the attention of his body. It had always been that way. John could be distracted at any time.

“What’s your take on her, from a former soldiers stand point?” John asked, shifting to his side so that he was facing her. It was hard for him not to see this young girl as Scorpius’s protégé. The man was known for taking advantage of any situation, whether he created it or he happened into it. 

“She’s smart, reserved, efficient, and it’s all hiding the brutality all Peacekeepers are trained to inflict on the galaxy,” Aeryn answered. “But…” she blinked a couple of time as she thought carefully about her next words. “All that pales in comparison to what ideals Scorpius and Sikozu have instilled in her.”

“Yeah,” John rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t think them capable of raising piranhas really.” It was hard to picture Scorpius as any sort of parental figure, or partner to Sikozu for any length of time. Boy, did he get the shock of his life when he saw them still together after all this time.

After all this time, Aeryn was surprised that John could still say things that confused her, or use words she didn’t understand. “What’s a piranha?” she asked.

“It’s this vicious little fish that will eat you before you can eat it,” John said. He scooted in close to his wife, inching down. “Let me show you….” John was mere seconds away from a second go around with his wife when Moya pitched violently, casting him out of bed.

Aeryn scrambled out from under the covers, getting dressed in the blink of an eye. “Pilot!” she called out. “What’s happening?”

“We’re under attack!”

John, following Aeryn’s lead, hopped into his pants, bounced on his right foot, tugging on his left boot, and then repeating the same action. “Pilot, are we being boarded?”

“Not yet!”

 

COMMAND:

 

Sikozu lay sprawled on the floor, her left shoulder screaming in agony. It was dislocated. Her whole arm was burning with painful sensation as she turned her head to the side searching for Scorpius. He was a short distance from her, blood coating his cheek. “Are you alright?” she asked, forcing herself to sit up.

Scorpius wiped the back of his hand across his right cheek, hissing at the protest his skin flooded his brain with. Microts before, they had put themselves back in some semblance of an orderly appearance. Next, Moya pitched violently sending them to the deck. Crawling over to Sikozu, he checked her over seeing that her shoulder was at an odd angle. “How bad?”

“Bad,” Sikozu said, her eyes closing against a wave of pain. It came over her when she breathed the wrong way, and somehow moved her shoulder a fraction. Normally, she would have been able to pop the joint back in place herself, had done so, but this felt different. She couldn’t describe why.

“Let’s get you up,” Scorpius stood, offering his hand to her. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet, but he didn’t stop there. Mindful of her shoulder, he picked her up, carrying her over to the table they had made good use of a short while ago.

Sikozu fought the instinctual urge she had to cry out when he set her down, jostling her dislocated shoulder. It had her gasping, and holding her breath. He wasted no time explaining what would come next. She already knew. The only thing left was to do it. Scorpius took hold of her left hand, his coming up to grasp her upper arm. Slowly he rotated, until she felt it slip back into alignment. Then, he stretched her arm out until a pop told him it had relocated. This time Sikozu cried out.

Scorpius held still a microt longer, until Sikozu started to breathe normally and her jaw unclenched. They didn’t have much longer to linger on Command. If the ship was under attack, they needed to join the fray. “Pilot!” Scorpius shouted. “What’s happening?” No response came. To Sikozu, he said, “We have to go.” 

Sikozu kept her hand in his, sitting up. “I know,” she flinched when another stab of pain raced through her chest. From the questioning look she earned from her mate, she had to say, “I can still fight.” To prove her statement true, she pushed herself off the table to stand on her own two feet.

Scorpius gave her a quick nod, and then headed off the command deck with her keeping up with him. They made it down two tiers when his Scarran senses picked up an unfamiliar scent. He reached behind him, his hand touching Sikozu’s abdomen. It was a signal for her to stop. Behind him, he heard her pull free her pulse pistol from the holster. A smirked curved his lips.

 

TIER TEN:

 

Rylani and Deke were pinned down my pulse blasts. He took a moment to activate the comms. “Pilot! We could use a little help!” he yelled, ducking down a mere microt before a pulse blast landed above his head. Deke fired, and was satisfied when he heard the telltale thud of a body hitting the deck. “Finally!”

There was a pause in the blasts to get a better look at the villains who dared to invade their ship. Rylani peeked around the corner, where she caught sight of a male, Sebacean. The leathers were old, and tattered. His pulse rifle had more than a few dents on them. Ducking back for cover, she said to Deke, “We’re being attacked by Coalition soldiers.” 

“Are we close to their space?” Deke asked, checking the oil cartridge. He tapped her knee, signaling she should switch posts with him. They were pinned down until help arrived.

“They’ve been known to conduct raids in this part of space,” Rylani answered, taking up his previous postion. For the interim, pulse blasts had halted. It gave her the chance to see how many were keeping them pinned. She saw another Sebacean, a Charrid, and a flat faced Scarran. Deke asking to switch when he did, probably just saved his life. He could stand his ground against the two grisly males she’d been exchanging fire with. If he’d been face to face with the Scarran, it would have gone back for him.

“I’ve got three over here,” Deke whispered. “How many on your side?” This wasn’t the first time Moya had been invaded during his life time. 

“Three,” Rylani replied. Putting her pulse pistol away, she turned to Deke. “There’s a Scarran on my side, and to take it out, I have to do something that will incapacitate me leaving you on your own.”

Deke glanced at her over his shoulder, “What the frell does that mean?” There were dozens of species in the galaxy, all of them with different abilities, but he’d never heard of an ability that would leave someone incapacitated. 

“It would take too long to explain,” Rylani replied. She shed her jacket, preparing to step out and face the Scarran. “Deke, a word of warning, do not look at me.” She stood up, her back pressed to the wall. Still crouched down, she saw his spine straighten, telling her he was about to turn. She placed her foot on his back, “Do not look at me.” 

“Ok,” Deke nodded. It was better to do as she said, and ask questions later.

“When I go down, you have to pull me out of the way,” Rylani said. As strong as she was, when she emitted the specialized radiation she had to kill the Scarrans, it always wiped her out, and had her passing out. No matter how many time she practiced, tried to build tolerance, she could never remain conscious afterwards. Her mother was the same. 

“You got it,” Deke assured.

 

PILOT’S DEN:

 

Aeryn stood guard in front of Pilot while John held the forward position at the door. As of right now, no enemies had converged on the den. But, that didn’t mean they weren’t on their way. She gripped her pulse rifle tighter, cursing that Jothee took Stark and Noranti to stay behind orbiting the planet. Aeryn knew all the reasons why Jothee couldn’t be on Moya right now, and all of them dealt with Scorpius, Sikozu, and their offspring. It would have been helpful to have another gun handy at the moment. “John, do you see anything?”

“It’s as dead as a ghost town,” John replied keeping Wynonna trained on the corridor. With his free hand he tapped the comms on his vest, “Deke, what’s your situation like?”

“Pinned down by six… Rylani has my back. But we could use some help.”

Pulse blast’s echoed over the comms. John looked at Aeryn, and she nodded. “Where are you?” he asked as he looked up and down the corridor. John knew better than anyone that Aeryn could handle herself if he had to take off. 

“Tier ten.”

“On my way,” John responded to his son. “You got this, baby?” Aeryn just looked at him. “Yeah, you gonna be fine.” He headed away from the den, and up to tier ten to give his son some backup. Though, by the time he go there, everything could be over.

 

TIER EIGHT:

 

Scorpius broke the neck of a Tavlek that had tried to get around him and attack Sikozu. The body dropped to the ground, and it gave him a moment to look back at her to make sure she was fine. She gripped her pulse pistol, aiming it just over his left shoulder. Trusting her as he did, he remained very still while the red orb zoomed past him and into the chest of the enemy behind him. 

Sikozu only had a split microt to react. In the blink of an eye she dropped her pulse pistol, the receptors in her right hand began to heat, and she shouted, “Scorpius, get down!” A column of fire surge from her, down the corridor, and into the face of a Scarran that had appeared behind her mate. 

Scorpius dropped to the deck, his arms covering his head, as he felt heat lick across his back. One of the things that had changed about Sikozu was her power. She’d gotten stronger after they had solidified their mating. In fact, he’d noticed an uptick in his own strength. A microt later, a body fell half on him, half on the deck next to him. With a growl he pushed it off, and hissed seeing that it was a long faced Scarran. 

Sikozu dropped to her knees, fighting the urge to pass out. She was always drained after using her abilities, and it didn’t matter how much her powers has grown. It was the one downfall of having these genetic gifts. They left her weak, helpless, completely reliant on Scorpius. She knew he would carry her without complaint, he’d done it on the Scarran Dreadnaught back during the war. Sikozu didn’t like being weak in front of him. 

Scorpius checked the surrounding area to make sure all threats were dealt with. Five dead bodies were all accounted for. Now he could go to Sikozu. Without words, he took her right hand, pulling her up, and taking most of her weight. If her left shoulder hadn’t been recently relocated, he would have slung her across his shoulders, and carried her out. But seeing as her shoulder needed to heal, he would have to settle for having her right arm across his shoulder and his left arm wrapped around her waist to keep her at his side. 

“We need to find… Rylani…” Sikozu slurred her words. It was taking everything she had left not to pass out. The Scarran she killed, it worked for Ahkna, and the former War Minister of the Scarran Empire was one of those in charge of Coalition space. That also meant Keerza Kershyn would be close by. 

Scorpius growled. He knew where Sikozu’s train of thought had taken her. It had been naïve of them to just allow Keerza to live her life. Then again, they weren’t in the position to hunt her down, not when Rylani needed all their attention. “We never should have let her live,” Scorpius snarled, hefting Sikozu closer.

Sikozu’s eyes were getting heavy, her body wanted to fall to the floor and pass out. Only she wasn’t going to be that weak. “We chose… to…” she had to take a few moments to gather her thoughts, and find some more strength to finish speaking. “We chose to live our lives,” she said.

“Yes,” Scorpius acknowledged. At the time it had been the right choice, he knew that. That choice was putting his family in danger. They made it down to tier nine when sounds reached him. It was Rylani’s pulse pistol. He knew the sound anywhere. “She’s one tier above us. Can you make it?”

“I will,” Sikozu confirmed.

 

TIER TEN:

 

Rylani shed her coat, and took a couple deep cleansing breaths. Deke was laying down some cover fire, giving her the opening she needed. With a sharp nod, she stood up, and stepped out into the corridor. She unleased the deadly radiation, targeting the Scarran that had made the mistake of stepping out to engage her in a fight. It froze in place, making strangled half gasps as it fought to remain alive. It wouldn’t have any hope of survival. Rylani used all that she had to kill the giant reptile. Finally, it dropped dead. 

Deke stopped firing to watch Rylani. She hunched over, her hands resting on her leather clad thighs. Her chest was rising and falling unevenly. He stood up, about to do as she’d told him when a Charrid came into view. It took Rylani by her braid, holding a sharp knife to her throat. Deke aimed his pulse pistol at it snarling, “You better let her go, or so help me I will end you.”

“Drop your weapon!” The Charrid shouted. 

Rylani had to stay awake, but her body had other plans. It was drained, and she was using all she had to keep her eyes open. She felt her knees weaken, gravity pulling her down to the floor.

Deke nearly pulled the trigger when Rylani crumbled to the deck, but the Charrid moved faster than he thought them capable of. It used the knife to cut off Rylani’s braid, and then it was running away. Out of anger, he fired at it. The Charrid cried out in pain and that gave Deke a little satisfaction. He wasn’t going to go after it, not when it meant leaving her alone. Going to her, he rolled her over, lightly patting her cheek, “Baby, come on, wake up….” Deke looked around, seeing all the dead bodies. 

Rylani groaned, her eyes fluttering open, but she didn’t have the strength to get up, “I…” she shook her head weakly.

“Ok,” Deke nodded. “I gotcha baby.” He scooped her up, cradling her in his arms as he stood up. The moment he turned around, he came face to face with her parents. Scorpius stared at him with hard, cold blue eyes that had him shivering in nervousness. Sikozu looked about as well off as Rylani. “All of them are dead,” he said instead.

Scorpius kept his gaze on the young Crichton, seeing the way the boy held his daughter. He was about to question the other man when Crichton came around the corner.

“What the hell happened to those two?” John asked.

“Sikozu used her abilities,” Scorpius answered, his eyes never leaving Rylani being held by D’Argo.

“I guess that’s what the Captain did,” Deke shrugged as best he could. “She said she was going to do something that was going to incapacitate her, and now there are a lot of dead bodies. Well… all except a Charrid, who cut her hair.” 

“That’s a new one,” John muttered. 

“Commander, we have a ship departing.”

“Guess I didn’t hit any vital organs on that Charrid…” Deke remarked sarcastically, lifting Rylani closer. He felt her body slipping slightly. Then to his dad he said, “I’m gonna take her to her temporary quarters and let her sleep off whatever this is.” 

 

TBC…

A/N: I know it’s been a long while in between chapters, but I was hit with a dry spell where my writing was concerned, and then I was out of town. I hope you like this chapter! Cheers!


	7. Chapter 7

HYBRIDS:  
PART II

 

Deke stretched out beside Rylani watching her sleep. Her newly shorn hair fell over her face in haphazard locks. If anything, the short shoulder length cut made the thick white streaks stand out even more. For the last three arns he’d been trying to figure out why a Charrid would go to the trouble of holding a knife to her throat if all it was going to do was take her hair as a trophy. He reached out to tuck some of her hair behind her right ear as he marveled at how peaceful she looked deep in sleep. Deke moved closer, his lips hovering above hers. Gently, he placed a kiss against them. 

“You should let her rest.”

Startled, Deke bounded out of bed, his pulse pistol in hand, aimed right at Scorpius. It took him a moment to calm his rapidly beating heart. Of course he would be here. Rylani was his daughter, he wanted to check on her. Slowly, he holstered his weapon. “I was concerned about her.”

“I can see that,” Scorpius responded with his hands clenched at his sides. He would refrain from harming the young man. After all, this was the male his daughter had taken an interest in. Rylani could do worse in this galaxy.

“This is… awkward,” Deke scratched the back of his head. He felt like he’d just gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar (one of his father’s sayings). In this case, said ‘cookie jar’ was in fact kissing Rylani, and getting caught by her father.

“Why?” Scorpius was having just the right amount of fun torturing the poor boy. He had to do something seeing as both his mate and child were unconscious. 

“You’re her dad,” Deke pointed out. Now was as good a time as any, or so he thought. It was better to just get this out of the way, “I really like her. She’s interesting, and strong, and brilliant.” He looked over his shoulder at her on the bed, a smile curving his lips. No one in this universe compared to Rylani, and no one ever would. 

“Do you think you’re the first?” Scorpius asked.

“Oh, I’m definitely not the ‘first’,” Deke dead panned.

Scorpius narrowed his gaze, “Do you think she’ll leave her life, give up her rank, to be with you?” When it came to Crichton, he knew how to read the human, to predict any response that would come from him. With Crichton’s offspring, that ability to manipulate was harder to use. 

Deke stepped in close to Scorpius, his voice low, “And so we’ve come to the point of our conversation where you assume I’m as arrogant as my father.” The leather encased hybrid Peacekeeper Commander was a head taller than him. He had to tilt his head back to look at the intimidating father in the eyes. It was true that his mother’s life had gotten better when she’d joined with his father. Aeryn Sun got the chance to be more than a trained killer, got to see how the universe worked, and she learned how to feel.

Scorpius was surprised, but he was careful not to let it show. The younger Crichton was either baiting him, or he really believed what he’d just said. He wasn’t sure what it was at the moment. “When the time comes, are you going to let her go?”

“If that’s what she wants…” Deke responded, not sure if it was the complete truth. He’d already let Rylani go once. If he could help it, he wasn’t going to let that happen again. She made him feel alive. When they were together it was like some secret circuit was completed that had him functioning better and faster than before. 

Scorpius nodded. He knew his daughter, and whatever she wanted, she fought like a demon until she got it. If she wanted this young man, there would be nothing he could do to stop her. Sikozu was right, he would have to stand aside on this. He stepped around the boy, so he could go and sit on the edge of the bed.

“Ok…” Deke placed his hands on his hips, taking the hint. He walked out leaving a father to watch over his daughter.

Scorpius waited until he heard the fading footsteps before he said to Rylani, “You can wake up now.”

Rylani groaned, rolling onto her back looking at her father, “I thought I would wait until you two were done.” She wanted to yell at both of them, but she also wanted to hug them both. Her father was being surprisingly mellow, more than she thought he would. 

“I only said those things…” Scorpius started to say. 

“I know,” Rylani sat up, facing her father. When it came speaking about their emotions, she and her father didn’t do very well at times. “What attracted you to mother?” she asked. In all her cycles of life, she didn’t completely understand what it was that made her father and mother so enthralled with each other.

Scorpius stared at his daughter, not sure what to say to her question. It was something she’d never asked before. “Your mother was never afraid of me, or afraid of what I could do to her.”

“What do you mean?” Rylani asked. 

“I could have killed her without a second thought,” Scorpius answered truthfully. “She knew it, and never feared it.” Looking back on those times, Sikozu’s lack of fear drew him at first. Then she began to impress him with other attributes; her intelligence was scintillating. Then as the days wore on, he found that he liked having her as an ally, and eventually as his paramour.

“Oh,” Rylani mouthed. Her parents were completely dedicated to each other. They protected one another, and they fought like no other. It was strange to hear that, at one time, her father entertained the notion of killing her mother. Or at least, the thought had occurred to him.

“That was just one of the many reasons you mother drew my attention,” Scorpius added. “Her intelligence was another, and her loyalty. There isn’t one reason I could choose.”

Rylani nodded, “She can match you in deviousness when she sets her mind to the task.”

“Yes, she can,” Scorpius agreed. “And so can you.” He knew his daughter, she had untapped reservoirs of potential to be duplicitous. It was what she gained from him and from Sikozu. “You’ve met this boy before, haven’t you?” Scorpius asked. He knew she couldn’t keep a secret from him for very long.

Rylani looked away, her voice barely above a whisper, “Yes.” She was still tired from using the radiation to kill that enemy Scarran, but for this, she didn’t want to stay sitting. Getting up to pace helped to dispel the nervous energy building up inside her. “It was on Nor’taken three, while I was waiting for that Kalish contact of yours. I saw him in the distance, he was walking through the snow storm, and I knew he wasn’t going to make it to safety. So, I went to help.” 

“You went to help?” Scorpius asked, watching his daughter pace. That wasn’t an action he’d normally associate with her, as it wasn’t in their nature. The only time they pretended to be of any use was when a situation could be beneficial to them. 

“Do not judge me,” Rylani said, her voice carrying and edge to it. She was already clueless as to why she helped. All she knew was that she did. “I pulled him out of the snow, warmed him up, and got his Prowler fixed,” she said. Long ago she’d learned to pick her words carefully to keep her father from reading too far into what she’d said. 

“You must have made quite the first impression for him to outright tell me that he likes you,” Scorpius got up. His daughter eyed him, giving nothing away. He taught her too well. 

“It’s not every day a male meets a Kalish/Sebacean/Scarran hybrid,” Rylani said. “As you have told me so many times, I am truly unique in this universe.”

“You’re trying to distract me, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why,” Scorpius stalked closer to his child. Reaching his hand out, he took a lock of her newly shorn hair, rubbing the mix of white and vibrant red between his thumb and fore finger. “I will find this Charrid, and I will kill it.” 

Rylani shrugged her left shoulder, “I’m not worried about it.” 

“You may not be, but there is cause for concern,” Scorpius responded. In this moment in time, there was no advantage to be gained from keeping his child in the dark. “While we’ve been in Peacekeeper Territory, you’ve been relatively protected, but once we came closer to Coalition Space, your safety is threatened.” 

Rylani held her hands up, taking a step back, “For all the words you just spoke, you’ve basically said nothing.” Her father had secrets, her mother had secrets; she knew that, but she never thought any of them would directly affect her. “Explain to me, simply and without a lot extraneous detail, why I am in danger.” Rylani’s voice dropped, dark and Scarran like. 

“You are my child,” Scorpius stalked close to her, but she refused to back down. “Because of that, a scientist wants to claim you, harvest your DNA, and conduct experiments.” 

“Get out…” Rylani snarled. 

“Rylani…” Scorpius reached out, his intention was to place his hand on her shoulder, but she backed away.

“GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!” Rylani shouted. This was the first time she’d taken such a tone with him. This was also the first time she’d felt utterly and completely lied to by her father. He trained her, instilled in her disciplines that made her a force to be reckoned with. She’d fought for her place without even realizing that she had a bounty on her head. 

 

CENTER CHAMBER:

 

Scorpius sat gazing out at the stars, not really seeing them, as his mind was awash with everything he should have said to Rylani. He wanted to be angry at her for not letting him explain. He wanted to reprimand her for taking such a disrespectful tone with him. Only, he couldn’t. She was feeling betrayed, and it was because of him. Scorpius should have warned her of the danger she faced each time she left the safety of Peacekeeper Territory. Foolishly, he thought the rigorous training he put her through would have sufficed. 

John stood outside the center chamber watching Scorpius brood. To anyone else, it would look like the hybrid was merely sitting in silence, but he knew better. On a ship like Moya, sounds carried, even the sound of an angry daughter yelling at her father. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of a child’s wrath. Rather than say anything stupid, as he was known for, John went to sit across from Scorpius with the table between them. 

Scorpius didn’t take his gaze from the sight of the starts as he asked, “What do you want, John?” He was in no mood for the human to judge him.

John nodded, hearing the edge of annoyance in Scorpius’s voice. He understood it. They weren’t friends. They weren’t allies. They had no benefit to the other anymore. Still, he asked, “How’s your kid?”

On instinct Scorpius clenched his jaw. He never spoke of personal matters with anyone. It was information that could be used against him, against Sikozu, and Rylani. There would be nothing he wouldn’t do to keep them from harm. Even if it meant remaining silent. And yet, he found his mouth falling open, his lips forming words, “She’s angry at me.”

Any one of a million sarcastic responses flew through John’s brain, and more than a few of them wanted to jump right out of his mouth. He restrained himself, though. Now was not the time to antagonize Scorpius. John had nothing in his head to keep him from the half-breed’s wrath. “Why she so steamed?”

“Those pirates that boarded,” Scorpius glanced at Crichton, “they were after her, and I didn’t warn her.”

“Did you know before hand?” John asked. He had some experience in this. Deke was just as unique as Rylani.

“I knew of the potential threat,” Scorpius stated. “The danger has been there all of her life, even before she was born.” He’d done all he could to prepare her, to make her strong, and able to stand alone to face any threat. “I had the chance to neutralize the threat, but instead, I chose mercy.” 

“That’s not a bad choice,” John consoled. It was a new approach to a situation. Scorpius usually chose to kill those who were of no more use to him. This was a sign the man had grown; somewhat. 

“Yes, it was,” Scorpius looked at Crichton. “I should have eliminated the danger before it had time to regroup, before it had time to strike out at my child.”

“As a father, you’ll learn you can’t always protect your child from harm.” John replied. It was the cold hard fact of reality. “She’s gonna get hurt in this life, she’s gonna bleed. What’s important is how you handle it when you see everything she goes through, and she’s still standing. She may be mad at you now, but in the end she’ll get over it.”

 

GYM:

 

Rylani had to get rid of some of the anger she was letting fester in regards to her father. Viciously, she delivered punch after punch to the padded dummy. She felt the shock race through her knuckles, through her wrist, and up her arms. It didn’t stop there. Drawing her left arm back, she slammed into the dummy again. The force of the blow knocked it over. Rylani roared with anger, her strength was the same as any pure blooded Scarran. She walked over to where the beat up piece of black workout equipment lay on its side, and she glared at it. Defiantly, she gave it a swift kick. It was then she noticed that Aeryn Sun was watching her. She backed away, feeling like a child being caught doing something she shouldn’t have been. 

Aeryn nodded, walking into the gym, “This old thing has been pummeled, kicked, and broken on more than one occasion.” She bent over to pick it up. It would be bad form for a Peacekeeper Officer to ask another how they were doing, but she hadn’t been one for a long time. “Are you alright?”

“I have hit harder objects than that dummy,” Rylani replied. “Normally, I hit bulkheads.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Aeryn pointed out.

“I know,” Rylani nodded. She pushed her fingers through her newly shorn hair in frustration. “My whole life, I knew my father was capable of doing things, lying to achieve his own ends.” She shook her head, looking away from Officer Sun when tears started to gather in her eyes. “Foolishly, I thought he’d never do such things to me.”

Aeryn could hear the pain in the young woman’s voice. It was the anguish of a child being betrayed by her father. She didn’t know what that was like, personally. “Perhaps he was trying to protect you.”

“Do you believe that?” Rylani asked, turning to Aeryn. “You knew him before, when he first met my mother. Do you believe he would protect me in such…?”

“You’re his flesh and blood,” Aeryn stated vehemently. “There isn’t much Scorpius wouldn’t do to protect those he holds dear. You and Sikozu are the only ones that mean anything to him.” She’d seen it in the conference room. She’d seen the way Scorpius looked at his child. He was no longer the monster the galaxy feared; at least not when his daughter was around. 

Rylani knew Sun’s words to be true, but that before she learned there was target hanging over head, and all because she had been given life. “I am unaccustomed to being…”

“Rylani,” Sikozu called her daughter’s name. It earned her a suspicious look from Aeryn. “Come with me.” 

Rylani nodded, solemnly obeying her mother. “Have you spoken to father?” she asked, averting her gaze. Right now, she felt as if she were no more than five cycles old.

“Not yet,” Sikozu replied to her daughter. With her good hand, she reached out to Rylani, tucking a short vibrant red strand behind her ear. “But, from your anger a microt ago, I can tell you have.” Knowing Scorpius as she did, he must have told Rylani exactly why she was sought after by Keerza without bothering to explain beyond that. The man she belonged to had his own way of handling situations. Sikozu shook her head at that thought. 

“I have the feeling that he has left out a few key details,” Rylani took a step back from her mother, crossing her arms over her chest. Then again, she brought it on herself. She told him to explain without too much extraneous detail.

“You know about my past, your father’s….” Sikozu started to say.

“Of course, you made sure of it. Father made sure I used that knowledge to make myself strong.” Rylani cut in.

“We did not want you living in fear,” Sikozu stated. “Scorpius thought, and I agreed, that we only tell you what you needed to become a strong soldier, a capable fighter, and an amazing woman. As long as you stayed in Peacekeeper Territory, and some parts of the Uncharted Territories, you were safe from Keerza.” 

Rylani started to pace back and forth in small, tight lines. “Does this mean the same target that hangs over my head, is over you and father?”

“Yes, it always has been,” Sikozu confirmed. “It’s because Scorpius and I are a mated pair. Our DNA is perfect for each other in such a way that we create the strongest of offspring. You, Rylani, are a being this universe has never seen.” She made a move closer to her child. “Your father and I took a calculated risk in searching for the scientist that made me. She knew more about hybrid genetics than any other. We needed to know if your Scarran and Sebacean DNA would be at war with each other.”

“You wanted to know if I would be confined to a cooling suit?” Rylani asked. 

“Yes,” Sikozu nodded. “We had no idea how perfect you would be. Our need for reassurance was what drove us to seek out my creator. We never thought she’d go this far, but now that we know just how desperate she is, we can take steps to make sure she never lays a finger on you.”

If there was any anger residing inside Rylani, it was gone now. She went to her mother immediately wrapping her arms around her. “I should have another conversation with father.” She let her mother go.

Sikozu cupped Rylani’s face, her thumb stroking back and forth, “You and your father can be so alike at times.”

“How do you put up with us?” Rylani joked.

“I love you both,” Sikozu smiled.

 

CENTER CHAMBER:

 

Scorpius thought about what Crichton had said. Some part of him knew the human’s words made sense, but another part of him wanted to be defiant and find a way to ensure Rylani came to no harm for the rest of her life. Just then, a familiar scent filled the air around him. Rising to his feet, he turned to find Rylani standing in the open hatchway. He opened his arms to her, and waited to see what she would do. 

Rylani didn’t hesitate. She crossed the room and stood before her father. There would be no apologies; not in their family. Without much debate, she wrapped her arms around her father, resting her head on his chest. All she knew was that she didn’t want to feel anger towards him. She knew what he was life, a secretive Peacekeeper Commander. It was practically apart of his DNA. The soldier that was she was knew there was a reason for him keeping information from her. As her mother explained it was to keep her from living a life of fear. But that wasn’t her. Even if she had known. Rylani was too much like her father. 

Scorpius held his child in silence, his eyes firmly fixed on the open hatchway of the center chamber. He hadn’t liked the feeling of being at odds with his daughter. She’d never raised her voice to him before, and she had seen do some truly terrible, necessary things in the past. This, he knew, was different for her. This time he had lied to her. And damn that John Crichton. The human had been right. As a father, he only wanted to make his child as strong as possible. Except, keeping vital information from her had put her in unknown danger that she couldn’t have fought against. Being a father was harder than running a secret Gammak Base. 

 

TBC….


End file.
